It is clear that security and privacy are very important factors for users. On many occasions they can be compromised by different aspects, such as malware, attacks over the network, data leakage … In this article we are going to talk about how to protect security and privacy if we have to send our equipment to the technical service . The objective is to avoid problems that could compromise us.
How to send our PC to the technical service safely
This is something that can happen many times. We have a computer, a mobile or any other device and suddenly it stops working or has a problem. It is under warranty and we contact the company where we bought it or the brand itself to send it.
The problem is that there is a process in which different agents take part. On the one hand, there is the transport company we go to to send the equipment. There is also the company to which we send it to fix it, the possible technicians and, sometimes, third organizations to which they can go to solve the problem (change a specific part, for example).
Throughout this process , problems can arise . On the one hand there is the remote possibility that our equipment will be lost during transport. It could end up in the wrong hands and of course, inside we have data that can put our privacy at risk. It could also happen that when manipulating the device to fix it, either voluntarily or involuntarily some of the people who can intervene filter our data or in some way compromise our privacy.
Therefore it is interesting to take into account certain tips that we are going to give. Some generic recommendations that may well serve for a computer, mobile or any other device. Basic aspects that we can take into account and thus avoid problems or at least send with more security our device to fix.
Create a backup
Something fundamental is to create a backup of all our data. We do not know if our equipment is going to be completely changed and that would mean that we will not recover what we have stored. There is also the risk that during repair you may have to format a disk or delete files.
Therefore, one of the basic and most important tips before sending our equipment for repair to technical service is to create backup copies. For this we have many tools that we can use.
Erase sensitive data
This is privacy oriented. Do we have confidential data that we do not want to be leaked? Perhaps even that equipment is from a company and stores sensitive operating information. It is important that we erase any type of confidential data that may exist.
In this way, in the event that the equipment ends up in the wrong hands or even in the extreme case that it is lost, our information would not be in danger.
Do not keep accounts started
Something that is also essential is not keeping accounts started . Let’s say that we are going to send our mobile to repair and we have social network applications or messaging programs with our user started. They could access that content, read possible notifications, etc.
Factory reset option
An option that we have available is to restore factory settings . We can do this once we have backed up the data. So we can send the equipment as it came from the factory, without any personal data, configuration that we have made, etc. It is, in short, a very important option to consider if we want to preserve security and privacy.
Remove external plugins
One last point we want to mention is to remove any external plugins that may be. Maybe memory cards, for example. Any added device or add-on that does not come from the factory. We may store confidential information there or it may be lost during repair.
In short, these are some basic tips that we think are interesting for when we have to send our PC to the technical service and always maintain security and privacy.
