Securing the Devices You Use to Access Zanda

Your password and two-factor authentication protect your login. These habits protect the computer, phone, or tablet you log in from, including when one is lost or stolen.

This article covers how to secure the computers, phones, and tablets you use to access Zanda: locking the screen, keeping antivirus active, encrypting the disk, and preparing for a lost or stolen device. These steps matter because an unlocked computer, a phone with no passcode, or a lost laptop with an unencrypted disk can give someone access to your Zanda account, and everything else you are signed into, without your password.

Lock your screen within 5 minutes

Set your computer to lock automatically after 5 minutes of inactivity, so nobody else can use it when you step away. Choose a shorter time in a particularly sensitive area, such as reception, where people outside your team pass through.

On Windows, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and set If you’ve been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again? so that sign-in is required when your PC wakes. Then go to Settings > System > Power & battery and set the screen and sleep timeouts to 5 minutes or less.
On Mac, go to System Settings > Lock Screen. Set the display to turn off after 5 minutes or less, and set Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off to Immediately.

Keep antivirus software active

Antivirus software blocks malicious programs before they can run. Windows and macOS both include protection, so the main task is confirming that the protection is switched on.

On Windows, Microsoft Defender Antivirus runs by default. If you install a different antivirus program, Windows turns Defender off and lets that program take over. Check your security settings to confirm one of the two is active.
On Mac, XProtect and Gatekeeper automatically screen for known malware and block software from unidentified sources. Apple recommends keeping macOS updated and installing software only from the App Store or trusted developers, and that baseline is enough for most people. Add dedicated antivirus software only if your organization requires it.

Turn on disk encryption

Disk encryption keeps the contents of your computer unreadable without your login password, even if the computer is lost or stolen.

On Windows, device encryption turns on automatically on many newer computers when you sign in with a Microsoft account. Older devices, upgraded installs, and local (non-Microsoft) accounts often have device encryption switched off, so check Settings > Privacy & security > Device encryption and turn the setting on. If your computer does not list device encryption, look for BitLocker instead, which is available on Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.
On Mac, computers with Apple silicon or a T2 security chip encrypt your data automatically. Turn on FileVault as well, in System Settings > Privacy & Security > FileVault, so your data can only be decrypted with your login password.

Secure your phone and tablet

Set every phone or tablet you use for Zanda to require a passcode, PIN, or biometric unlock, such as Face ID or a fingerprint.

On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (Touch ID & Passcode on older devices) and confirm a passcode is set.
On Android, go to Settings > Security and privacy (the exact wording varies by manufacturer) and confirm a screen lock is set, using a PIN, pattern, password, or biometric.

If you keep a password manager on your phone, set the app to require Face ID or a fingerprint each time it opens, in addition to your device lock. Most password manager apps offer this setting. See Zanda Account Security: Passwords, Password Managers, 2FA for more on choosing and using a password manager.

Prepare for a lost or stolen device

Turn on remote locating now, on every device you use for Zanda. Remote locating lets you find, lock, or erase a missing device from another device, and it only works when it was switched on before the device went missing.

To turn remote locating on:

On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > [your name] > Find My and turn on Find My iPhone or Find My iPad.
On Mac, go to System Settings > [your name] > iCloud and turn on Find My Mac.
On Android, open Settings and confirm Find Hub is turned on. Older devices call this feature Find My Device.
On Windows, go to Settings > Privacy & security > Find my device and turn the setting on. Find my device requires a Microsoft account with administrator rights on the PC.

If a device goes missing, sign in from another device:

iPhone, iPad, or Mac: go to https://icloud.com/find to locate, lock, or erase the device.
Android: go to https://android.com/find to locate, lock, or erase the device.
Windows: go to https://account.microsoft.com/devices to locate and lock the PC.

Then reset your Zanda password, in case the device was unlocked or already logged in when it went missing, and review your account activity by following the steps in If you think a password has been compromised.

Frequently Asked Questions

The web browser is offering logins it has saved for that browser profile. Zanda is not exposing anyone’s details. See Other people’s email addresses and passwords appear at the login page for how to remove saved logins and give each person on a shared computer their own browser profile.

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