Lock the screen every time you stand up
An unlocked computer gives a passer-by everything you are signed in to. Locking takes one second.
Why thirty seconds is enough
Nobody needs your password when your session is already open. A person at your keyboard can forward mail, copy files or install a program in less time than it takes you to fetch a coffee, and every action will be recorded under your name.
It does not have to be a criminal. A curious visitor, a child at home or a colleague playing a joke can do the same damage by accident.
Make locking a reflex
Press Windows+L on Windows or Control+Command+Q on a Mac whenever you leave the desk, even for a moment. On a phone, press the power button before you put it down.
Set the automatic lock as a safety net: a few minutes on a computer, and never more than fifteen. On a phone, thirty seconds to a minute is comfortable with a fingerprint or face unlock.
The desk and the screen itself
A password on a sticky note, a printed customer list or a visitor badge left on the desk can be photographed in a second. Put papers in a drawer when you leave and collect printouts from the printer straight away.
In a café, a train or an open office, sit so that your screen does not face the room. A privacy filter costs little and stops reading from the side.
This note is our own plain-language summary. For the full guidance, read the original: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/training/protect-physical-security-your-digital-devices
Next noteThe stranger who walks in behind you
If you can see your desk from the door, so can everyone else.