Tara Duggan is a Project Management Professional (PMP) specializing in knowledge management and instructional design. For over 25 years she has developed quality training materials for a variety of products and services supporting such companies as Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq and HP. Her freelance work is published on various websites.
Journal Reports: Small Business
For Entrepreneurs Looking to Raise Money, It Pays to Turn to Their College Alumni Network
By Alina Dizik
July 27, 2022, 7:00 PM ET
If the entrepreneur and investor share the same alma mater, it’s more likely that they will make a deal—and for more money.
New HP Wolf Security report exposes ironic “honor among thieves” as cybercriminals rely on dispute resolution services, $3k vendor bonds and escrow payments to ensure “fair” dealings
PALO ALTO, Calif. , July 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) today released The Evolution of Cybercrime: Why the Dark Web is Supercharging the Threat Landscape and How to Fight Back – an HP Wolf Security Report. The findings show cybercrime is being supercharged through “plug and play” malware kits that make it easier than ever to launch attacks. Cyber syndicates are collaborating with amateur attackers to target businesses, putting our online world at risk.
The HP Wolf Security threat team worked with Forensic Pathways, a leading group of global forensic professionals, on a three-month dark web investigation, scraping and analyzing over 35 million cybercriminal marketplaces and forum posts to understand how cybercriminals operate, gain trust, and build reputation.
Key findings include:
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Malware is cheap and readily available – Over three quarters (76%) of malware advertisements listed, and 91% of exploits (i.e. code that gives attackers control over systems by taking advantage of software bugs), retail for under $10 USD. The average cost of compromised Remote Desktop Protocol credentials is just $5 USD. Vendors are selling products in bundles, with plug-and-play malware kits, malware-as-a-service, tutorials, and mentoring services reducing the need for technical skills and experience to conduct complex, targeted attacks – in fact, just 2-3% of threat actors today are advanced coders1.
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The irony of ‘honor amongst cyber-thieves’ – Much like the legitimate online retail world, trust and reputation are ironically essential parts of cybercriminal commerce: 77% of cybercriminal marketplaces analyzed require a vendor bond – a license to sell – which can cost up to $3,000. 85% of these use escrow payments, and 92% have a third-party dispute resolution service. Every marketplace provides vendor feedback scores. Cybercriminals also try to stay a step ahead of law enforcement by transferring reputation between websites – as the average lifespan of a dark net Tor website is only 55 days.
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Popular software is giving cybercriminals a foot in the door – Cybercriminals are focusing on finding gaps in software that will allow them to get a foothold and take control of systems by targeting known bugs and vulnerabilities in popular software. Examples include the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office, web content management systems, and web and mail servers. Kits that exploit vulnerabilities in niche systems command the highest prices (typically ranging from $1,000-$4,000 USD). Zero Days (vulnerabilities that are not yet publicly known) are retailing at 10s of thousands of dollars on dark web markets.
“Unfortunately, it’s never been easier to be a cybercriminal. Complex attacks previously required serious skills, knowledge and resource. Now the technology and training is available for the price of a gallons of gas. And whether it’s having your company ad customer data exposed, deliveries delayed or even a hospital appointment cancelled, the explosion in cybercrime affects us all,” comments report author Alex Holland, Senior Malware Analyst at HP Inc.
“At the heart of this is ransomware, which has created a new cybercriminal ecosystem rewarding smaller players with a slice of the profits. This is creating a cybercrime factory line, churning out attacks that can be very hard to defend against and putting the businesses we all rely on in the crosshairs,” Holland adds.
HP consulted with a panel of experts from cybersecurity and academia – including ex-black hat hacker Michael ‘Mafia Boy’ Calce and authored criminologist, Dr. Mike McGuire – to understand how cybercrime has evolved and what businesses can do to better protect themselves against the threats of today and tomorrow. They warned that businesses should prepare for destructive data denial attacks, increasingly targeted cyber campaigns, and cybercriminals using emerging technologies like artificial intelligence to challenge organizations’ data integrity.
To protect against current and future threats, the report offers up the following advice for businesses:
Master the basics to reduce cybercriminals’ chances: Follow best practices, such as multi-factor authentication and patch management; reduce your attack surface from top attack vectors like email, web browsing and file downloads; and prioritize self-healing hardware to boost resilience.
Focus on winning the game: plan for the worst; limit risk posed by your people and partners by putting processes in place to vet supplier security and educate workforces on social engineering; and be process-oriented and rehearse responses to attacks so you can identify problems, make improvements and be better prepared.
Cybercrime is a team sport. Cybersecurity must be too: talk to your peers to share threat information and intelligence in real-time; use threat intelligence and be proactive in horizon scanning by monitoring open discussions on underground forums; and work with third-party security services to uncover weak spots and critical risks that need addressing.
“We all need to do more to fight the growing cybercrime machine,” says Dr. Ian Pratt, Global Head of Security for Personal Systems at HP Inc. “For individuals, this means becoming cyber aware. Most attacks start with a click of a mouse, so thinking before you click is always important. But giving yourself a safety net by buying technology that can mitigate and recover from the impact of bad clicks is even better.”
“For businesses, it’s important to build resiliency and shut off as many common attack routes as possible,” Pratt continues. “For example, cybercriminals study patches on release to reverse engineer the vulnerability being patched and can rapidly create exploits to use before organizations have patched. So, speeding up patch management is important. Many of the most common categories of threat such as those delivered via email and the web can be fully neutralized through techniques such as threat containment and isolation, greatly reducing an organization’s attack surface regardless of whether the vulnerabilities are patched or not.”
You can read the full report here https://threatresearch.ext.hp.com/evolution-of-cybercrime-report/
Media contacts:
Vanessa Godsal / vgodsal@hp.com
About the research
The Evolution of Cybercrime – The Evolution of Cybercrime: Why the Dark Web is Supercharging the Threat Landscape and How to Fight Back – an HP Wolf Security Report is based on findings from:
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An independent study carried out by dark web investigation firm Forensic Pathways and commissioned by HP Wolf Security. The firm collected dark web marketplace listings using their automated crawlers that monitor content on the Tor network. Their Dark Search Engine tool has an index consisting of >35 million URLs of scraped data. The collected data was examined and validated by Forensic Pathway’s analysts. This report analyzed approximately 33,000 active websites across the dark web, including 5,502 forums and 6,529 marketplaces. Between February and April 2022, Forensic Pathways identified 17 recently active cybercrime marketplaces across the Tor network and 16 hacking forums across the Tor network and the web containing relevant listings that comprise the data set.
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The report also includes threat telemetry from HP Wolf Security and research into the leaked communications of the Conti ransomware group.
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Interviews with and contributions from a panel of cybersecurity experts including:
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Alex Holland, report author, Senior Malware Analyst at HP Inc.
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Joanna Burkey, Chief Information Security Officer at HP Inc.
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Dr. Ian Pratt, Global Head of Security for Personal Systems at HP Inc.
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Boris Balacheff, Chief Technologist for Security Research and Innovation at HP Labs, HP Inc.
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Patrick Schlapfer, Malware Analyst at HP Inc.
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Michael Calce, former black hat “MafiaBoy”, HP Security Advisory Board Chairman, CEO of decentraweb, and President of Optimal Secure.
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Dr. Mike McGuire, senior lecturer of criminology at the University of Surrey, UK and authored expert on cybersecurity.
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Robert Masse, HP Security Advisory Board member and Partner at Deloitte.
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Justine Bone, HP Security Advisory Board member and CEO at Medsec.
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About HP
HP Inc. is a technology company that believes one thoughtful idea has the power to change the world. Its product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions helps bring these ideas to life. Visit http://www.hp.com.
About HP Wolf Security
From the maker of the world’s most secure PCs2 and Printers3, HP Wolf Security is a new breed of endpoint security. HP’s portfolio of hardware-enforced security and endpoint-focused security services are designed to help organizations safeguard PCs, printers, and people from circling cyber predators. HP Wolf Security provides comprehensive endpoint protection and resiliency that starts at the hardware level and extends across software and services.
©Copyright 2022 HP Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
1 According to Michael Calce, former black hat “MafiaBoy”, HP Security Advisory Board Member, CEO of decentraweb, and President of Optimal Secure
2 Based on HP’s unique and comprehensive security capabilities at no additional cost among vendors on HP Elite PCs with Windows and 8th Gen and higher Intel® processors or AMD Ryzen™ 4000 processors and higher; HP ProDesk 600 G6 with Intel® 10th Gen and higher processors; and HP ProBook 600 with AMD Ryzen™ 4000 or Intel® 11th Gen processors and higher.
3 HP’s most advanced embedded security features are available on HP Enterprise and HP Managed devices with HP FutureSmart firmware 4.5 or above. Claim based on HP review of 2021 published features of competitive in-class printers. Only HP offers a combination of security features to automatically detect, stop, and recover from attacks with a self-healing reboot, in alignment with NIST SP 800-193 guidelines for device cyber resiliency. For a list of compatible products, visit: hp.com/go/PrintersThatProtect. For more information, visit: hp.com/go/PrinterSecurityClaims.
Picking out the best Chromebook isn't easy with so many great models on the market at the moment, but we'd say the HP Pro C640 Chromebook and the Asus C523 Chromebook definitely qualify. They're both fantastic laptops, but for different reasons.
Here we're going to outline exactly what you can expect from the HP Pro C640 Chromebook and the Asus C523 Chromebook if you decide that either of these Chromebooks is the one for you, which should make your buying decision a little easier.
As you would expect from two of the best laptops on the market, they both score highly in a lot of the key categories that matter – but we'll explain how they stack up in a head-to-head comparison so you can figure out which one is the right one for you.
HP Pro C640 Chromebook vs Asus C523 Chromebook: design and screen
The HP Pro C640 Chromebook.
(Image credit: HP)
The premium HP Pro C640 Chromebook is marketed very much as a business laptop, and it has a definite business-like air to it as well: this is a Chromebook that definitely... means business, as it were. You can see it in its clear and distinct lines, and in its unfussy aesthetic, and in the use of plain and neutral colours throughout the design. It's not an ugly laptop at all, but nor is it a particular innovative one as far as looks are concerned.
The HP Pro C640 Chromebook comes carrying a 14-inch display that you can configure with a variety of different resolutions: either 1366 x 768 pixels or 1920 x 1080 pixels, and either touch enabled or non-touch enabled. The bezels on the left and right are pleasingly thin, with a bit more chunkiness at the top and bottom to make room for the webcam and the obligatory HP logo respectively.
With a solid build quality and a smooth aluminium, it's a laptop that's going to last you, though the display can't flip over into a tent or tablet mode like the screens on some Chromebooks can. The port selection is good as well: you get a micro SD card reader, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports and an HDMI 1.4 out socket for powering an external screen, as well as a 3.5 mm combination mic/headphone jack.
The Asus C523 Chromebook.
(Image credit: Asus)
Turning to the Asus C523 Chromebook and this is much more of a value-for-money proposition, which is reflected in the design of the laptop. It's hardly a bad-looking or flimsy Chromebook, but it does come across as a bit cheaper, as you would expect given the price it's selling for. That said, the display bezels are nice and thin at the sides of the screen, and it's only above and below the display where the bezels get seriously chunky – thicker than they would be on a top-tier laptop.
The Asus C523 Chromebook actually has a bigger display than the HP Pro C640 Chromebook, measuring 15.6 inches corner to corner and running at a resolution of either 1366 x 768 pixels or 1920 x 1080 pixels, depending on your needs and your budget. As with the HP Chromebook that we're comparing the Asus model to, you can buy it with or without touch support for the display.
You just get the standard laptop form factor with the Asus C523 Chromebook, so no folding over into a tablet or tent-like shape with this laptop, and as far as ports goes you've got a micro SD card slot, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a 3.5 mm jack that can take either a microphone or a pair of headphones (or both, if you've got a headset). It doesn't have the HDMI out of the HP laptop, but you can use one of the USB-C ports to run an external display, if you need to.
HP Pro C640 Chromebook vs Asus C523 Chromebook: specs and performance
The HP Pro C640 Chromebook.
(Image credit: HP)
It's really in the specs that the differences between the HP Pro C640 Chromebook and the Asus C523 Chromebook start to appear, and where the relative prices start to make sense. You don't need much in the way of performance to run Chrome OS and Android apps of course, but more power helps when you're dealing with multiple browser tabs and multiple different apps at the same time.
You can configure the HP Pro C640 Chromebook with a wide range of internal components – this flexibility is actually one of the best features of the laptop. At the top end of the scale when it comes to price and performance, you can get it configured with a 10th-gen Intel Core i7-10610U processor, together with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage. If your needs and budget are more modest then you can scale that back considerably.
You're still going to be running the same Chrome OS software at the end of the day, but when you think about opening up some of the more advanced websites out there, and running some of the more demanding Android apps and games – not to mention having enough oomph to keep an external display running smoothly – it makes sense to go for as much internal power as you're able to afford.
The Asus C523 Chromebook.
(Image credit: Asus)
The Asus C523 Chromebook doesn't offer the same level of power and performance, and has fewer configuration options overall. The best you can do here is an Intel Celeron N3350 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of internal storage (you can knock that storage all the way down to 16GB if you really don't need much of it and want to save yourself some cash).
The laptop will of course still run Chrome OS perfectly well, but you might be waiting a little longer for pages to load and for specific objects to be rendered compared with the HP laptop. It's worth figuring out exactly what you think you're doing to be doing with your Chromebook before making a purchase, and in particular how much multitasking you want to be doing in terms of opening a lot of sites and apps at the same time.
Chromebooks are built to offer lightweight computing experiences with a lot of the heavy lifting done on the web, but if you think that you might need some extra performance then it's worth considering the more advanced configuration options available on the HP laptop – though you should also bear in mind that the HP Pro C640 Chromebook is also available with some more modest internal components as well, if that suits you better.
HP Pro C640 Chromebook vs Asus C523 Chromebook: price and verdict
The HP Pro C640 Chromebook.
(Image credit: HP)
There's no doubt that both the HP Pro C640 Chromebook and the Asus C523 Chromebook are two of the best Chromebooks around at the moment, but they're approaching the market from different directions: the HP model is all about that high performance and business appeal, while the Asus model is more concerned with helping you get as much Chromebook as you possibly can for your money.
If you think you're going to need some high-end specs inside your laptop – an i7 processor from Intel, say – then the HP Pro C640 Chromebook may well be the one to go for. It supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 speeds, and has an HDMI out port for easy connection to a TV or a monitor, and it features nice touches such as an integrated privacy slider for physically covering up the webcam, as well as an optional fingerprint sensor for logging in.
On the other hand there's the Asus C523 Chromebook, with that epic 15.6-inch screen. The available resolutions aren't any higher than they are with the HP laptop, so you won't be able to fit any more on screen, but everything that is on screen will be just that little bit bigger. For sitting back and relaxing in front of some Netflix or Prime Video shows, the Asus laptop might be the better option.
The Asus C523 Chromebook.
(Image credit: Asus)
We haven't mentioned battery life yet, but both these Chromebooks are going to give you respectable all-day battery life. If you take either the HP or the Asus out for an entire day then you're going to need to give them a recharge when you get back in the evening, but that's par for the course these days. The HP might last just a touch longer on a single charge, but there's not much in it at all.
When it comes to pricing, you can consult the widgets embedded on this page for the most up-to-date deals online, but typically speaking – and remembering that both laptops are available in a choice of configurations – you're going to be paying significantly more for the HP Pro C640 Chromebook. With top-tier components inside, the HP model can hit four figures in terms of price, while the Asus C523 Chromebook is closer to the £300 mark.
That's a big jump in pricing, especially when you consider that both these laptops are running the same Chrome OS software. While the extra performance, premium materials and extra features of the HP Pro C640 Chromebook are going to be enough to tempt some buyers who want the best that Chromebooks can offer right now, we think a lot of people will also be tempted by the affordability and quality of the Asus C523 Chromebook.
![Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie at a PDP-11. Peter Hamer [CC BY-SA 2.0]](https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/1279px-Ken_Thompson_sitting_and_Dennis_Ritchie_at_PDP-11_2876612463.jpg)
The official answer to that question is simple. UNIX® is any operating system descended from that original Bell Labs software developed by Thompson, Ritchie et al in 1969 and bearing a licence from Bell Labs or its successor organisations in ownership of the UNIX® name. Thus, for example, HP-UX as shipped on Hewlett Packard’s enterprise machinery is one of several commercially available UNIXes, while the Ubuntu Linux distribution on which this is being written is not.
When You Could Write Off In The Mail For UNIX On A Tape
The real answer is considerably less clear, and depends upon how much you view UNIX as an ecosystem and how much instead depends upon heritage or specification compliance, and even the user experience. Names such as GNU, Linux, BSD, and MINIX enter the fray, and you could be forgiven for asking: would the real UNIX please stand up?
![You too could have sent off for a copy of 1970s UNIX, if you'd had a DEC to run it on. Hannes Grobe 23:27 [CC BY-SA 2.5]](https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Magnetic-tape_hg.jpg)
UNIX had by then become a significant business proposition for AT&T, owners of Bell Labs, and by extension a piece of commercial software that attracted hefty licence fees once Bell Labs was freed from its court-imposed obligations. This in turn led to developers seeking to break away from their monopoly, among them Richard Stallman whose GNU project started in 1983 had the aim of producing an entirely open-source UNIX-compatible operating system. Its name is a recursive acronym, “Gnu’s Not UNIX“, which states categorically its position with respect to the Bell Labs original, but provides many software components which, while they might not be UNIX as such, are certainly a lot like it. By the end of the 1980s it had been joined in the open-source camp by BSD Net/1 and its descendants newly freed from legacy UNIX code.
“It Won’t Be Big And Professional Like GNU”
In the closing years of the 1980s Andrew S. Tanenbaum, an academic at a Dutch university, wrote a book: “Operating Systems: Design and Implementation“. It contained as its teaching example a UNIX-like operating system called MINIX, which was widely adopted in universities and by enthusiasts as an accessible alternative to UNIX that would run on inexpensive desktop microcomputers such as i386 PCs or 68000-based Commodore Amigas and Atari STs. Among those enthusiasts in 1991 was a University of Helsinki student, Linus Torvalds, who having become dissatisfied with MINIX’s kernel set about writing his own. The result which was eventually released as Linux soon outgrew its MINIX roots and was combined with components of the GNU project instead of GNU’s own HURD kernel to produce the GNU/Linux operating system that many of us use today.
So, here we are in 2019, and despite a few lesser known operating systems and some bumps in the road such as Caldera Systems’ attempted legal attack on Linux in 2003, we have three broad groupings in the mainstream UNIX-like arena. There is “real” closed-source UNIX® such as IBM AIX, Solaris, or HP-UX, there is “Has roots in UNIX” such as the BSD family including MacOS, and there is “Definitely not UNIX but really similar to it” such as the GNU/Linux family of distributions. In terms of what they are capable of, there is less distinction between them than vendors would have you believe unless you are fond of splitting operating-system hairs. Indeed even users of the closed-source variants will frequently find themselves running open-source code from GNU and other origins.
At 50 years old then, the broader UNIX-like ecosystem which we’ll take to include the likes of GNU/Linux and BSD is in great shape. At our level it’s not worth worrying too much about which is the “real” UNIX, because all of these projects have benefitted greatly from the five decades of collective development. But it does raise an interesting question: what about the next five decades? Can a solution for timesharing on a 1960s minicomputer continue to adapt for the hardware and demands of mid-21st-century computing? Our guess is that it will, not in that your UNIX clone in twenty years will be identical to the one you have now, but the things that have kept it relevant for 50 years will continue to do so for the forseeable future. We are using UNIX and its clones at 50 because they have proved versatile enough to evolve to fit the needs of each successive generation, and it’s not unreasonable to expect this to continue. We look forward to seeing the directions it takes.
As always, the comments are open.
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Show lessA wide variety of malwares and vulnerability exploits can be bought with ease on underground marketplaces for about $10 (£8.40) on average, according to new statistics – only a few pennies more than the cost of London’s most expensive pint of beer.
The average price of a pint of beer has risen by 70% since the 2008 financial crisis and earlier this year, researchers at customer experience consultancy CGA found one pub in London charging £8.06. The researchers, perhaps sensibly, did not name the establishment in question.
But according to a new report, The evolution of cybercrime: why the dark web is supercharging the threat landscape and how to fight back, produced by HP’s endpoint security unit HP Wolf Security, the price of cyber criminality is tumbling, with 76% of malware advertisements, and 91% of exploits, found to retail for under $10.
Meanwhile, the average cost of an organisation’s compromised remote desktop protocol (RDP) credentials clocked in at just $5 (£4.20) – a far more appealing price for a beer as well, especially in London.
Vulnerabilities in niche systems, predictably, went for higher prices, and zero-days, vulnerabilities yet to be publicly disclosed, still fetch tens of thousands of pounds.
HP Wolf’s threat team got together with forensic specialists Forensic Pathways and spent three months scraping and analysing 35 million posts on dark web marketplaces and forums to understand how cyber criminals operate, gain each other’s trust, and build their reputations.
And unfortunately, said HP senior malware analyst and report author Alex Holland, it has never been easier or cheaper to get into cyber crime.
“Complex attacks previously required serious skills, knowledge and resource, but now the technology and training is available for the price of a gallon of gas,” said Holland. “And whether it’s having your company and customer data exposed, deliveries delayed or even a hospital appointment cancelled, the explosion in cyber crime affects us all.
“At the heart of this is ransomware, which has created a new cyber criminal ecosystem rewarding smaller players with a slice of the profits. This is creating a cyber crime factory line, churning out attacks that can be very hard to defend against and putting the businesses we all rely on in the crosshairs.”
The exercise also found many cyber criminal vendors bundling their wares for sale. In what might reasonably be termed the cyber criminal equivalent of a supermarket meal deal, the buyers receive plug-and-play malware kits, malware- or ransomware-as-a-service (MaaS/RaaS), tutorials, and even mentoring, as opposed to sandwiches, crisps and a soft drink.
In fact, the skills barrier to cyber criminality has never been lower, the researchers said, with only 2-3% of threat actors now considered “advanced coders”.
And like people who use legitimate marketplaces such as Ebay or Etsy, cyber criminals value trust and reputation, with over three-quarters of the marketplaces of forums requiring a vendor bond of up to $3,000 to become a licensed seller. An even bigger majority – over 80% – used escrow systems to protect “good faith” deposits made by buyers, and 92% had some kind of third-party dispute resolution service.
Every marketplace studied also provides vendor feedback scores. In many cases, these hard-won reputations are transferrable between sites, the average lifespan of a dark web marketplace clocking in at less than three months.
Fortunately, protecting against such increasingly professional operations is, as ever, largely a case of paying attention to mastering the basics of cyber security, adding multi-factor authentication (MFA), better patch management, limiting risks posed by employees and suppliers, and being proactive in terms of gleaning threat intelligence.
Ian Pratt, HP Inc’s global head of security for personal systems, said: “We all need to do more to fight the growing cyber crime machine. For individuals, this means becoming cyber aware. Most attacks start with a click of a mouse, so thinking before you click is always important. But giving yourself a safety net by buying technology that can mitigate and recover from the impact of bad clicks is even better.
“For businesses, it’s important to build resiliency and shut off as many common attack routes as possible. For example, cyber criminals study patches on release to reverse-engineer the vulnerability being patched and can rapidly create exploits to use before organisations have patched. So, speeding up patch management is important.
“Many of the most common categories of threat, such as those delivered via email and the web, can be fully neutralised through techniques such as threat containment and isolation, greatly reducing an organisation’s attack surface, regardless of whether the vulnerabilities are patched or not.”
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
As work and school have pivoted to remote environments in the last couple years, computer sales have soared to record highs. Laptops and mobile technology have become even more necessary in today’s households, offices and classrooms.
But for college students, new laptops often come at steep, unaffordable prices. Fortunately, there are ways to get a free laptop for college. Through scholarship opportunities, charitable donation programs and college student discount deals from top brands, tech is becoming more accessible to students.
What Is a Free Laptop Program?
Free laptop programs provide computers at no cost to students. Funded by colleges, educational nonprofits and scholarships from leading tech brands, these programs empower students with reliable tech to ensure academic and professional success.
Keep in mind: Most free laptop programs have specific eligibility requirements, including enrollment in an accredited four-year degree program.
Do Colleges give Students Free Laptops?
Yes. Many colleges distribute free laptops at no cost to their students. The following are just a few examples of universities in the U.S. that certain free technology to incoming students:
- Moravian University issues MacBook Pros and iPads to students, including AppleCare coverage and the option to have regular repairs and service via Moravian’s IT help desk.
- Full Sail University’s Project Launchbox gives every student a laptop loaded with professional creative software to promote an immersive, hands-on learning experience.
- Chatham University’s first-year students receive a free, 13-inch MacBook Air laptop with AppleCare and SafeWare protection. They also get protective accessories and the option for on-campus repairs.
As you start applying to schools, check out their IT department websites. These usually outline any free or discounted laptop promotions for new students.
If your college or university doesn’t offer free laptops as a part of enrollment, check out your school’s library. Temporary laptop loans are typically available for students to use on campus. For commuter students who prefer to study off campus, local libraries are also a great option for borrowing free laptops.
Organizations that Provide Free Laptops
If you don’t have access to a laptop through school and you’re experiencing financial challenges, don’t worry. Several nonprofit organizations provide free laptops to students in need on a rolling basis.
The On It Foundation
Since 1999, the On It Foundation has provided free computers to low-income K-12 students in U.S. public schools. The nonprofit collaborates with educational institutions, businesses and local community members to collect and distribute donated computers. The organization also offers technology training and internet access to families.
To apply for a free computer, a parent or guardian should contact the On It Foundation via a letter or an email with a request that includes proof of financial need.
Computers with Causes
Receiving hundreds of requests per day, Computers with Causes gives over 20,000 donated computers annually as a part of the Giving Center Charity. Free computers are available to anyone. However, the organization prioritizes students and teachers, people experiencing housing insecurity, disabled veterans and military families.
Students can apply online and expect to receive confirmation of their free computer within a month.
Scholarships and Grants that Provide Free Laptops
High school students may be eligible for scholarship and grant opportunities that offer free laptops. These programs are often competitive and selective. Some are fairly accessible but require fundraising to cover the costs of technology.
Dell Scholars Program
Each year, the Dell Scholars Program provides high school graduates with a $20,000 educational scholarship, a free laptop, and textbook credits through Chegg—plus professional and personal resources to help navigate life challenges during the college years.
Applications open in October, so if you’re a rising high school senior, you can start submitting materials this fall. To qualify, candidates should have a minimum 2.4 GPA and be Pell Grant eligible. Applicants should also be on track to graduate in the same academic year they apply, and they should plan to enroll in a bachelor’s program immediately after graduation.
Laptops 4 Learning
Founded in 2015, Laptops 4 Learning (L4L) equips students with computer access to help them excel in school and the workplace. The mission-driven nonprofit also supports military veterans, who are also eligible for a laptop.
To obtain a free computer, register for an account on L4L’s website. From there, students should solicit their networks and local communities for donations to cover costs. Once sufficient funds are raised, students receive their free laptops.
Discounted Laptops for College Students
The following nonprofits and online platforms sell refurbished laptops at a discounted rate for students seeking reliable, affordable products. These are great options if you’re looking to save and invest in a device.
PCs for People
This nonprofit organization sells discounted desktop and laptop computers. It also provides a variety of tech services, including computer repair and recycling. With a mission to close the “digital divide”, PCs for People serves low-income families and individuals with disabilities.
Starting at $145 for a laptop, PCs for People currently offers brands like HP, Dell and Lenovo.
Dell Refurbished
Dell Refurbished sells an array of refurbished Latitude models at a discount. Offering thorough computer inspections plus “cosmetic grades” to ensure top-notch quality, bargain shoppers can snag a like-new laptop starting around $400.
Notebooks for Students
Originally founded by college students in California, Notebooks for Students (NFS) works with tech brands to provide refurbished, discounted laptops to students of all ages.
The organization’s homepage offers an extensive lineup of laptops categorized by school grade level and high-performance laptops. NFS offers both Mac and PC products, and prices start around $200.
Unlike most refurbished laptop sellers, NFS includes a free four-year warranty with the purchase of a laptop. This warranty includes full tech support to troubleshoot hardware repair, software installation and file recovery.
ConnectAll
An e-commerce platform, ConnectAll aims to provide affordable, refurbished laptops and desktops to nonprofits and low-income individuals.
The organization’s laptop inventory is sortable by form factor, storage capacity, memory and operating system. With options for Mac and PC, prices range from about $100 to $1,000. This includes free shipping, a one-year extended warranty and pre-installed Microsoft Windows and Office software.
College Student Technology Discounts and Deals
If you’re set on purchasing a brand-new device, many trusted tech brands offer annual educational discounts that cater to college students. Some of these laptop offers include bundled add-ons like gift cards and pre-installed software.
Dell Student Discount
Dell’s student discount specials include savings of up to $200 on new models like the Inspiron 14. Dell offers a no-interest payment plan in their education pricing. The company also includes the option to install Microsoft Office software like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Microsoft Student Discount
Microsoft offers up to a 10% discount on select products for students, teachers, parents and the military. To access this discount, check your eligibility by logging in to your Microsoft account when prompted. From there, start shopping and the best price will appear as you browse.
Free access to Office 365 is also included when purchasing with a student discount. Note that this discount cannot be combined with other offers.
Apple Education Pricing
Apple is known for its educational discounts for students and parents, faculty and staff and even homeschool teachers. Shopping with a Verified email address and institutional affiliation can save students up to $100 on Apple products including iMac, MacBook Pro, Macbook Air and iPads.
Education pricing also includes an Apple gift card (up to $150 in value) when purchasing select items.
Samsung Education Offer Program
Through Samsung’s Education Offer Program, students can purchase a brand-new Galaxy Chromebook at a fraction of the retail cost, saving up to $575. Samsung’s back-to-school bargains are not limited to laptop deals. Students and educators can shop for tablets, phones, watches, audio accessories and more.
