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Incident Response · Device lost or seized

Device lost or seized checklist

Who leads Whoever leads on incidents Name

Use it when

a phone or laptop has gone missing, or been taken.

In the first hour

If someone was detained, start with them: a lawyer and their support network.
Sign the device out of every account, email first.
Change the passwords of every account it held.
Lock it remotely, and hold off erasing it.
Call your mobile operator and your bank.

When to erase

Lost or stolen: once its accounts are signed out and the passwords changed.
Taken by police or officials: not without legal advice.

If it comes back

Don’t use it until an expert has checked it, or it’s been fully reset.
Don’t reset it before the check, if you want to know what happened.

Write it down

When and where it went
Accounts signed in on it

Notes

Take care: After an arrest, a warning message can itself be intercepted. Meet people in person where you can.

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