You don't want to accidentally lock yourself out of your own data. Be sure to also reset permissions on any existing files and to propagate the changes to any subfolders that might exist beneath the parent folder. Be a master of disguise Smart cards One way to increase password security on local as well as network systems is to require the use of smart cards. Before a user can log in, he must insert the smart card into the card reader and enter a PIN number. Although not many travelers carry readers today, this technology may become more commonly used with laptops in the future.
Smart cards offer several advantages.
First, smart cards are designed to be tamperproof. Therefore, using a smart card is much more secure than storing security credentials on a hard disk. Another advantage is that the information stored on a smart card isn't part of the operating system. One common technique that hackers use to gain public key information is to force a buffer overflow or a memory dump. They can then analyze the output to determine the pertinent security information.