17 Jul Tips for cyber-safe travel
Summer is a popular time to travel whether it be for a relaxing overnight or a week away exploring a new destination. In addition to spending time with family and friends, you might spend time on your smartphone or other devices to assist with directions, locating or identifying points of interest and capturing memories on camera. And, while it’s important to remember personal hygiene, don’t forget about your cyber hygiene before, during and after your trip to help secure your devices and allow you to connect with confidence when away from home.
BEFORE TRAVELING
- Update your devices. Updating devices will fix security flaws and help keep you protected. Whether it’s your computer, smartphone or gaming device, be sure to update your operating system, applications, antivirus and malware software. If you haven’t already turned on automatic updates, now is a great time to consider doing so.
- Back up your devices. In case a device is compromised during travel and you have to reset it to factory settings, it’s a good habit to back up information such as contacts, financial data, photos, videos and other important data.
- Lock your device. Make sure to lock your device when not utilizing it. Set the device(s) to lock after a short period of time and use strong PINs and passwords.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). Add an extra layer of protection so that the only person who has access to your account is you.
DURING TRAVEL
- Guard devices. Your devices are valuable and so is your sensitive information. Always keep devices close at hand and secure in taxis, security checkpoints, airplanes, rental homes and hotel rooms.
- Recharge securely. Never plug a phone into a USB public charging station, such as those in the airport or in hotel room lamps or clock radio inputs, as these cannot be trusted. Malicious individuals can hijack your session or install malware on your device through those seemingly-harmless means. Always connect using your own power adapter connected to a power outlet.
- Delete data from your rental car. If you connect your phone to a rental car for navigation or other purposes, be sure to securely remove the device so that other individuals do not have access to your address book, device name, text messages (hands-free calling), or other sensitive information.
- Avoid public Wi-Fi. While public networks are convenient, they’re also a security risk. Avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi unless absolutely necessary. Instead, consider using your phone carrier’s internet connection or use your phone as a personal hotspot if your plan allows.
If you do need to connect to public Wi-Fi, verify with the establishment the name of the network and use a virtual private network (VPN), software that will encrypt your internet traffic and prevent others from stealing your data. Verifying the network name is important as oftentimes malicious individuals create similar connection points with a slight misspelling, hoping you will instead connect to their network.
- Turn off auto connect. While auto-connect is enabled, devices will seek out and connect to available networks or Bluetooth devices. This could allow cyber criminals to access your device without you knowing it. Disable auto-connect, Bluetooth connectivity and near field communication (NFC), like airdrop, so that you can select the network and you can control the connection.
- Limit what you share. Limit the information you share on social media while on vacation and consider posting updates about your trip after you return. Revealing too much information while away can put you and others at risk. Criminals can gain useful information from such posts, like knowing you are away from your home. Scammers may even attempt to contact your family and friends with a variety of scam tactics. Additionally, consider setting your social media accounts to only allow friends to view your posts.
- Avoid the use of public computers. Public computers such as hotel business centers and internet cafes are often poorly managed and provide minimal security protection for users. If you must use a public computer, do not enter any username or password on the computer and do not connect or transfer data via a USB drive.
RETURNED TO HOME
- Shred boarding passes & luggage tags. Scannable codes on boarding passes and luggage tags include full names, dates of birth and passenger name records. These can also contain sensitive data from your airline record, like passport numbers, phone numbers, email addresses and other information that you might not want to be shared publicly. For this same reason, never post boarding passes on social media.
- Scan for viruses and malware. It’s best to update your security software when you return home and scan for viruses and malware to be sure your device has not been compromised while you were away.
Knowing these tips will help aid in being cyber-safe throughout your travels. Relax and enjoy your time away from home.
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