PK Tips for Protecting Your Data in Portable Mode

If you're using Personal Knowbase's portability mode to carry your notes with you on removable media such as a USB drive, you have extra security risks. Here are tips for protecting your data.

Backup, Backup, Backup

Always keep a local backup of the Knowbase data files (the files with the file type *.KNO). If you lose your USB drive or if it fails, your could lose all your data. When you get back to your regular computer, copy any changed files back to your local hard drive or to another backup drive. Include backups of any separate files that you store on your USB device which are targets of article attachments or hypertext links.

Never have only one copy of your data. Please.

Use Password Protection

If you have sensitive or private data on your USB drive, use password protection to keep your data from prying eyes.

For portable use, we recommend using PK's option to add a password to the entire file. To do this, use the File Properties command from the File menu. Then go to the Privacy tab. Check the checkbox for Password Protect All Articles. After you specify and save your password, you will need to enter the password every time you open this file.

Please save your password in a safe place. You cannot recover the password if you lose it.

This protects just your KNO data file. To protect your entire USB drive, consider a full encryption solution such as VeraCrypt.

Beware of Malware

Be aware that some computer viruses can move from a hard drive to a USB drive. If you plug your USB drive into someone else's computer that has a virus, you risk transferring that virus to your USB drive. If you "catch" a virus, you could transfer it to the next computer that you plug the device into.

Scan your USB drive for viruses regularly when you're moving it between multiple computers.