I'm dealing with a tricky situation at home. My brother is constantly trying to snoop on me — whether it's checking what shows I watch or the music I listen to, he breaks into my phone and computer whenever I leave them unattended. I've recently switched devices and made sure he can't access them, but I can't carry my laptop around everywhere, and I have to leave it in my room sometimes.
I've got concerns that he may have installed spyware on my laptop while I'm away, even though Windows Defender hasn't picked up anything suspicious. It's been really creepy, and I'm looking for solid ways to lock him out of my computer, even if he has physical access to it. I know about encryption, but I'm worried about the possibility of him bypassing it since he knows tech-savvy people.
What options do I have? Should I consider doing a clean install and limiting his physical access, or are there other technical measures I can take to protect my data?
5 Answers
It sounds like your situation is pretty rough! Have you talked to your parents about this? It doesn't seem normal for him to act that way. You might need to address the psychological aspect of the problem, as privacy is a basic right! As for tech, remember driving a password on your account and a BIOS password can drastically limit access.
You might want to look into setting up a drive password in your BIOS too. This locks the drive itself, so even if he tries to mess with your computer or boot it from another device, it'll ask for that password. If you have a self-encrypting SSD, it'll even encrypt itself using that password.
You can create an encrypted folder using OneDrive or similar services. It'll allow you to store your private files safely. Also, apps like WinRAR or 7-Zip can help encrypt files in a zip format, adding another layer of security.
If you're worried about him peeking at your files, consider using VeraCrypt to encrypt your entire operating system. Just make sure you’ve got a password that’s both secure yet memorable! But keep in mind, losing that password means losing access to your data.
First off, make sure you set a strong password on your computer. If he doesn’t know the OS password, he can’t log in. Also, check your BIOS settings — you can disable USB booting, which makes it tougher for him to use another OS to bypass your settings. That way, even if he has direct access, he can't just boot from a live USB to get in.
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