Laptops, phones, and tables are stolen all the time while on campus or traveling abroad. We don't always think about it, but our devices hold an incredible amount of personal information—your address book, internet history with all those financial websites you go to, any method of storing passwords, documents that contain confidential information, etc. Take a few extra precautions with your equipment, even if it means extra hassle when you start up your computer or wake it up from sleep.
Wifi monitoring is one of the easiest ways to get confidential information from someone else’s computer. Insecure wireless can very easily be hacked—what you do online can be monitored and replicated, files on your computer can be copied and read, and other information can be taken from your computer. If you have a file that you would prefer not to be public, it is recommended that you do not have it on your laptop when traveling and using wireless. Be particularly mindful of documents of any type that list your usernames and passwords for specific sites. Even a small bit of personal information in the hands of a skilled hacker can reveal far too much information about you and allow this person to steal your identity and cause all sorts of problems.