Whether you are a mountain or a beach lover, traveling with electronic devices like mobile phones, tablets, or even laptops has become necessary. It allows you to stay in touch with the world while away. Unfortunately, criminals have found a way to get into your device and steal your information, and that is where you need to be careful.
Cybercriminals can attack your device with any automated tools or malware. It can give them access to your personal and financial information.
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To Be Digitally Safe, You Should Consider Doing The Following:
Before You Leave
You should never post regarding your forthcoming travel on any of the social media platforms. Someone might keep an eye on it and might make any criminal aware of your upcoming plans. They will even know that you won’t be at home during this time, making it vulnerable to any attack.
Check for unwanted documents, credit cards, and devices you are carrying on the trip. Avoid anything unnecessary to carry, like any device with sensitive or confidential information.
Make an electronic copy of any documents or cards you must take on your trip. Save these documents in cloud storage like Google Drive as a backup if the original documents somehow are stolen or lost and you need access to it while traveling. You can also use RFID-blocking bags or wallets to protect your passwords and cards.
To ensure that your device has maximum security, you should do the following:
- Turn off any applications like file or printer sharing from all your devices that criminals can use to connect to your device.
- Enable automatic wipes, timeout functions, screen locks, and firewalls. Automatic wipe is specifically helpful because that allows the app to wipe data on the device after certain unsuccessful attempts.
- Set complex screen locks, codes, and passwords that include special characters and numbers. You can also set a new password for accounts, which you will use while traveling.
- Install antivirus software.
- If possible, encrypt all your devices.
- Change the generic or default name of the device and rename it to something unusual.
- Update all your applications and software before leaving. Malware can enter your device if installed on an unsecured network.
While You Are Away
If you are doing anything on public Wi-Fi, it is better to assume that it is a part of public conversation. Using a VPN on free Wi-Fi is the best option in such cases to be. It will digitally safeguard all your devices and make your online presence private, secure and safe. The best VPN anonymizes you by assigning you IP from a different location. It tunnels your traffic via a protected server to ensure that your communication is not monitored.
- Avoid connecting to any USB charging stations that directly connect with an electrical outlet. Also, do not use shared devices, like computers in hotels, business centers, public areas, cyber cafes, or devices that belong to friends, colleagues, or other travelers to be digitally safe.
- Withdraw yourself from using any website or applications you do not need while you are on the go. It may lead to exposure of your crucial information to theft or transfer of malware to your device.
- You should also abstain from using any official tools related to your work that may jeopardize their systems.
- Always be aware of your surroundings and make sure that no one is peeping into your device to take note of any sensitive information. Consider purchasing a privacy screen.
- Disable your device(s) from connecting to hotspots automatically.
- Keep your device with you all the time while you travel. It is not wise to assume that your hotel room or safe is reliable.
- Keep Wi-Fi, GPS, and BlueTooth off when there is no need to use them. Ensure that your device is paired with your known devices only and shut off your electronic device when not in use.
- If you plan to use a travel or bank card, never let it out of your reach. Keep a watch on your transaction, and do this only while you are on a secure network.
- If it is necessary to use a public network (which usually happens while you travel), then clear cookies and browsing history after finishing your work. Also, do not click on any links in the pop-up as they may contain malware.
When You Are Back
Once you are back from your vacation, change all the passwords you have used while traveling. Take a backup of all the data stored in your device and completely clean your device after returning. You should also delete any access points like Wi-Fi connections, BlueTooth connections, and others saved on your devices(s) to be digitally safe.
