Staying Cyber Safe At The Olympics
Travel tips and more in hostile environments abroad.
July 16, 2016
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt6d90778a997de1cd/bltbbdbc186177d5a9b/64f0d9e0a0be2788be1e86fc/01-olympics.jpeg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
With the Olympics only a couple of weeks away, plenty of excited and nervous travelers may already have their safety worries about crime, the Zika virus or water quality issues in Brazil. But in this digital era, protection from those physical world realities shouldn't be the only thing travelers should think about. In the run-up to the Olympics, cybersecurity experts and government officials alike are warning that the risk of identity theft, online scams and digital surveillance will be very real for travelers heading to Rio come August. Here are some of the common tips they offer consumers for staying cyber safe while watching the games. These are the types of common sense advice that security pros should think about passing along to friends, neighbors and their corporate users.
First and foremost, executive travelers who might be considering mixing business with pleasure should understand that there is a high degree of likelihood that they may be targeted for compromise by either competitors or foreign operatives while they're in Brazil.
"Major sponsor corporations use the Olympics as a platform to invite guests and to discuss business collaboration," one former FBI official with experience in managing security operations at the Olympics told USA Today recently. "The hotels are bugged and high-level executives are targeted for compromise."
Whether you're planning on heading to Rio or simply planning on following progress from afar, keep in mind that such a big event tends to attract scammers like flies to honey. Anyone who's fervently tracking athlete progress, Zika news, controversial Olympics-related videos, online advertising for event-related services or products could be at risk of being targeted by fake news sites or offers that are seeking to phish them or attack their device through drive-by downloads or social engineering. Security experts warn to pay attention to those Spidey senses when it comes to anything Olympics related online.
One of the easiest ways to avoid sensitive digital information from being stolen while abroad is to simply leave it at home and avoid accessing it while in country. One of the simple tips offered by the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) in its "Know the Risk; Raise Your Shield" awareness campaign around the Olympics is to simply minimize the number of unnecessary devices brought abroad.
In order to do that without feeling cut-off from the world, travelers can consider using throwaway devices like burner cell phones purchased in-country or simply bringing along cheap, "clean" digital devices that don't include sensitive or personal information.
If using a clean device isn't possible, travelers should at least consider using an alternative web browser to the one they use that might have cookies, saved passwords, and other sensitive information stored for convenience, says Shaun Murphy, CEO of Private Giant.
"Install a separate web browser for traveling or connecting to unknown WiFi access points," he says. "Use this alternative browser for basic surfing and never log into your email accounts, social media accounts, or post any personally identifiable information."
Speaking of unsafe access points, it should go without saying, but VPN connectivity is your friend. VPN service to encrypt traffic coming and going to your machine is no longer a nice-to-have when connecting online while abroad.
According to Murphy, one of the problems with VPN services is that it can sometimes be difficult to gauge the veracity of a VPN hosted services firm's security and privacy claims. He suggests that travelers consider planning ahead and looking into whether their home internet router has the capability to set up their own VPN server at home.
At the bare minimum, travelers should be practicing common sense when it comes to device and connectivity hygiene. For example, one's time in Rio is no time to breeze through security pop-up warnings.
"Listen to your apps and devices when they say a connection is not secure," says Murphy. Similarly, if an access point requires you to install anything--whether a piece of software, a plugin or a certificate--cease and desist immediately. "This is a known scam that can install malicious software that causes immediate damage."
If travelers do have to bring devices with sensitive information or credentials embedded in them, they should start first, of course, by encrypting anything sensitive, and password protecting anything and everything on laptops and mobile devices.
And executive vigilance should go beyond that--keeping physical tabs on devices can go a long way toward keeping determined surveillance operators from getting their hands on a device to steal from or tamper with them. Black Hat briefings over the past couple of decades have been littered with examples of vulnerabilities and demonstrations for breaking into digital hotel room locks and safes. Determined adversaries know these tricks of the trade, so don't let the room safe provide a false sense of security.
Finally, once you arrive home, consider some decontamination steps for digital devices and accounts. Before you unpack, consider a thorough change of passwords used while abroad. Also consider a solid clean-up of devices using thorough security utilities to ensure no malware tagged along on the return trip. In fact, NCSC suggests submitting company devices to IT for a post-trip once-over.
Finally, once you arrive home, consider some decontamination steps for digital devices and accounts. Before you unpack, consider a thorough change of passwords used while abroad. Also consider a solid clean-up of devices using thorough security utilities to ensure no malware tagged along on the return trip. In fact, NCSC suggests submitting company devices to IT for a post-trip once-over.
With the Olympics only a couple of weeks away, plenty of excited and nervous travelers may already have their safety worries about crime, the Zika virus or water quality issues in Brazil. But in this digital era, protection from those physical world realities shouldn't be the only thing travelers should think about. In the run-up to the Olympics, cybersecurity experts and government officials alike are warning that the risk of identity theft, online scams and digital surveillance will be very real for travelers heading to Rio come August. Here are some of the common tips they offer consumers for staying cyber safe while watching the games. These are the types of common sense advice that security pros should think about passing along to friends, neighbors and their corporate users.
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