Summer is a great time to travel to a new location, relax, and have fun! Take a vacation to get away, but don’t take a vacation from cybersecurity. While we may appreciate time off, cybercriminals are always on the clock.
Read our travel-inspired best practices, below, for staying secure when away from home.
Social Media
We all love posting travel pictures and exciting updates with friends and family. But sharing details of where we are and what we're doing alerts cybercriminals that we're not at home. Use these tips to avoid letting the wrong people know about your plans:
- Don’t alert people that you’re away on social media
- Be mindful of the pictures you share and when you share them
- Manage location services to avoid exposing your whereabouts
Devices and Data
Most of us wouldn't think about going away without at least some of our devices. But unfamiliar places also present increased risk. Bad actors may attempt to snoop on or even steal our data, devices, and account information. Review these tips for keeping your personal items and information safe:
- Travel with the least number of devices and data possible
- Keep devices and chargers with you at all times
- Make sure you have a screen lock (28% of users do not)
- Back up your data before traveling
- Use incognito browsers when logging in to accounts on public computers (and log out when done!)
Wi-Fi and Multifactor Authentication
Just because we're out-of-office, doesn't mean we're offline. While on vacation, we often connect to public Wi-Fi and log in to our personal accounts. Use these tips to connect to the Internet securely while traveling:
- Use the Yale VPN when connecting to Wi-Fi
- Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) on your personal accounts
- Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not actively using your device
General Travel Tips
Bad actors hope our relaxation extends to our cybersecurity routines. But we can prepare for our time away by thinking ahead and bringing our cyber know-how with us. Don't get caught off guard by considering these general travel-related tips:
- Be wary of unexpected travel-related emails (don't click on the links - go straight to the website or alert source to review required actions)
- Use official apps for airlines and hotels whenever possible
- Notify your bank when traveling
- Only shop and bank on familiar, secure sites
- Use a credit card instead of debit for added financial protection
- Have hard copies of travel documents