As summer means holiday travel plans, your security preparations should not only be about your physical home (as set out by the police scheme Secured by Design). Cybercriminals may seek to take advantage of travellers, warns the cyber company Keeper Security.
Consider, the firm says, following these safety tips to keep your most sensitive data and information secure. Simple actions such as using public Wi-Fi in airports, hotels, or tourist spots can leave your devices vulnerable to being hacked and your cyber identity being compromised.
#1 Limit social media posts that share your location. Posting on social media may be a traveller’s favourite part about visiting an exciting new place. However, posting while traveling, especially disclosing your exact location with geotags while you’re still at that location, can be highly dangerous. Once your location is exposed publicly, any bad actor can target you. Though it may seem unlikely as a tourist, locals with more familiarity of your surroundings will have an easier time locating you than you think. If you’re still tempted to post, wait until you’ve relocated to a new destination or better yet, save all the content for when you’re home.
#2 Avoid public Wi-Fi. Though finding reliable Wi-Fi while traveling can be challenging, it’s better to be safe than dangerously connected to public Wi-Fi networks. Attackers can use what’s called a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack when your device is connected to public Wi-Fi, which allows threat actors to gain access to your browser or app and retrieve your stored data. As a general rule of thumb, public Wi-Fi networks should always be avoided.
#3 Consider using a VPN. While traveling, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows you to remain protected when logging on from any location. Not only does a VPN allow you to avoid bandwidth throttling, but it also protects your online identity and secures your connection from anywhere, even if you’re on an entirely different continent.
#4 Upload important documents for backups. Traveling to new and unfamiliar destinations and tourist attractions can be chaotic, which increases the chance of important belongings – including passports, visas, medical records, etc. – being stolen or misplaced. By uploading copies of these important documents that contain highly sensitive information to a secure password manager, you’ll have digital copies as a back-up in case any of your documents get lost or stolen.
#5 Securely share emergency info with a trusted source. Take your security a step further on vacation and share relevant, important information with family members, friends and trusted sources to ensure they have access in case of an emergency. Use an encrypted service like One Time Share to securely share insurance information or identification such as your passport, with a trusted source on a time-limited basis. This way, in the event of a medical or other type of emergency, your friend, family member or co-worker can assist without sensitive information being exposed over email, text or messaging,
