7 Summer Travel Security Tips
With staying safe during the pandemic high priority, it's easy to let your guard down about the security of the devices you take along your travels.
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Summer 2020 hasn't quite worked out as planned because of COVID-19. Those great vacation reservations made six months ago have been canceled or streamlined. That gathering of 25 or 50 has either been whittled down to maybe a half-dozen practicing social distancing or everyone hopping on a Zoom call that reduces them to tiny squares. Fancy wedding plans have been downscaled to couples getting married at the end of their driveways with just a handful of well-wishers in attendance.
But take heart: You can still have plenty of fun this summer. Outdoor activities like golf, biking, hiking, and camping remain options providing you take the proper precautions, which mostly means wearing a mask and staying six feet apart from others.
Wherever you go, one thing the pandemic hasn't changed is the need to think about cybersecurity when you're out and about.
"I think after being locked at home for several months people have lost their mobile edge," says Chris Hazelton, director of security solution at Lookout. "The bad guys will be looking to prey on people who may be more willing than usual to use an unsecure network."
Hackers love it when people are off their game. So before making your way to the great outdoors, look over these seven tips to ensure you'll be practicing good cyber hygiene. Even just updating operating systems and applications and limiting the devices taken on your trip will go a long way.
There's a low-tech aspect to staying secure while traveling, and it starts by taking care of the physical security of your devices, says Daniel Eliot, director of education and strategic initiatives at the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). If you leave devices in your car, make sure the doors are locked. And while Eliot does not recommend leaving devices in the vehicle, if you do, keep them out of sight. Also, take only the devices you intend to use on the trip. If you can, try to only take a smartphone. The fewer you take, the fewer you have to worry about.
This also relates to devices your kids take on the trip. There's no reason for them to take every Internet-connected device they own. Have them pick the one or two systems they will use the most and leave it at that. Here's another novel idea: Come up with car games that don't involve an Internet connection. Try Mad Libs or other games that require social interaction vs. staring at a screen.
This just makes good sense. You should always use a VPN -- on all devices. Terence Jackson, chief information security and privacy officer at Thycotic, says to avoid doing any financial transactions or working with medical data on public Wi-Fi. Also, make sure your devices don't auto-connect to public networks.
In addition, take note of what you name your mobile hotspot, Lookout's Hazelton says. For example, drive-in movies have become popular activities during the COVID-19 period, but hackers could be lurking. If they see two women in a car, for instance, they could assume one of them would own the "Tricia's Network" hotspot. Or they could just call out "Tricia" and see who turns her head. Clearly, there are many crafty ways for hackers to gain access, so don't make it easy for them. Remember, once they are in your network, they are into all of your contacts, passwords, and credit cards on file.
If you're doing a lot of driving this summer, you'll likely be visiting a few rest stops off the highway. Remember: Don't plug a smartphone into an untrusted USB port at a public charging station. Charge your phone with the phone cable directly to an electric outlet is safe, Thycotic's Jackson says. Only plug into a USB connection if it's a charger brought from home or owned by a trusted friend or relative.
Motorists also need to watch for credit-card skimmers at gas pumps and ATMs, he adds. Before inserting a credit or bank card, run your hand over the point-of-sale terminal and make sure nothing is sticking out or jiggling. As gas stations and convenience stores go cashless due to the pandemic, expect skimming to become more of a problem, Jackson warns.
Lookout's Hazelton runs more than 400 apps on his phone, so a mobile password manager has become a useful tool for him to manage all of those different passwords. People first started using password managers on their laptops, but Hazelton says with more people running hundreds of apps on their phones, it makes sense to also use a mobile password manager.
Of course, it's impossible to remember hundreds of passwords, so make one strong, long password and let the password manager handle the rest. While on the road, you'll always have access to your apps. Most of the major password manager vendors now have mobile versions that run on Android and iOS, Hazelton adds.
Before leaving the house, NCSA's Eliot recommends checking the privacy and security settings on all of your devices. For example, it may be OK to let a smartphone or tablet track your location, but does a pedometer or smartwatch really need to? Check the settings on each device to see whether you want to enable or disable the geolocation feature, and only let the devices share the most basic information. Check all social media accounts and limit the personal information that's made public, too.
One tip for travelers: As tempting as it is to post photos while on a trip, better to wait until you get home. Don't tell the social media world you are away. The way these apps work, it's just too easy for people to track your friends, college alma mater and favorite music.
Good security practices go a long way to ensuring a safe journey, NCSA's Eliot says. This includes updating all applications on the major devices used. Update the laptop and phone OS, update Windows apps on laptops, and for those who use a MacBook Pro or iPhone, download the latest version of iTunes. Delete all unused phone apps, and if there's laptop software that hasn't been used in years, delete that as well. Also, enable the ability to remotely wipe a device in the event it gets lost or stolen, and make sure to back up data on all devices.
People may spend more time in rental cars this summer, which means they have to watch how they manage the infotainment system. NCSA's Eliot says it's fine to use the Bluetooth on the rental vehicle to make calls and listen to music, but make sure all of that information gets deleted before turning the car in. People tend to forget they are handing over a treasure trove of information by leaving information about their phones in rental cars. Delete all phones connected to the infotainment system before the car gets handed in. Here are some good tips from the FTC.
People may spend more time in rental cars this summer, which means they have to watch how they manage the infotainment system. NCSA's Eliot says it's fine to use the Bluetooth on the rental vehicle to make calls and listen to music, but make sure all of that information gets deleted before turning the car in. People tend to forget they are handing over a treasure trove of information by leaving information about their phones in rental cars. Delete all phones connected to the infotainment system before the car gets handed in. Here are some good tips from the FTC.
Summer 2020 hasn't quite worked out as planned because of COVID-19. Those great vacation reservations made six months ago have been canceled or streamlined. That gathering of 25 or 50 has either been whittled down to maybe a half-dozen practicing social distancing or everyone hopping on a Zoom call that reduces them to tiny squares. Fancy wedding plans have been downscaled to couples getting married at the end of their driveways with just a handful of well-wishers in attendance.
But take heart: You can still have plenty of fun this summer. Outdoor activities like golf, biking, hiking, and camping remain options providing you take the proper precautions, which mostly means wearing a mask and staying six feet apart from others.
Wherever you go, one thing the pandemic hasn't changed is the need to think about cybersecurity when you're out and about.
"I think after being locked at home for several months people have lost their mobile edge," says Chris Hazelton, director of security solution at Lookout. "The bad guys will be looking to prey on people who may be more willing than usual to use an unsecure network."
Hackers love it when people are off their game. So before making your way to the great outdoors, look over these seven tips to ensure you'll be practicing good cyber hygiene. Even just updating operating systems and applications and limiting the devices taken on your trip will go a long way.
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