Summer Travel: Safeguarding Your Digital Life – Spiceworks

• Discover how you can ensure your data stays safe while traveling this summer.
• Explore why it’s crucial to update your cybersecurity practices regularly in remote work situations.
• Learn how to protect your devices and data from threats while on summer vacation.

Heading out for a summer adventure? Watch out for scammers. They’re out there offering unreal deals, posting fake reviews, and lurking on airport WiFi, waiting to snatch your information. Always connect to a VPN (virtual private network) to keep your data safe; don’t let those offers tempt you. Remember that if anything seems too good to be true, it generally is. Stay cautious, and enjoy your holiday!

Cybersecurity Measures During Summer Travel

It’s important to meet technical and data guidelines. Before you travel, it’s wise to check out the travel alerts and information listed on the Department of State’s website. Remember that your privacy isn’t what you’re used to when you’re abroad. Places like internet cafes, hotel lobbies, or even your own hotel room might be monitored. And yes, all your electronic transmissions, whether via fax,  smartphone, computer, or phone calls, could be eavesdropped on. Criminals and security services can track you through your phone or PDA and listen in, even if your device seems off. The best defense would be to pull out the battery if possible. They can also sneak malware onto your devices to spy on or steal your information.

Don’t think you’re off the radar just because you’re not a bigwig in your government or company. Anyone can get targeted for their data. Ever gotten a weird email that seemed fishy? That’s phishing, where tricksters pretend to be trustworthy to swipe your personal information. If you have to hand your device over to be checked by customs or leave it in your room, assume someone might copy your data.

Summer Travel Tips

Here are some tips to ensure secure travel this summer:

1. Before traveling, familiarize yourself with important policies, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), and vow device security.
2. Avoid revealing trip information on social media. Notify them immediately if you encounter any technical problems while you’re abroad.
3. Leave devices at home if you don’t need them. Don’t bring sensitive information you won’t need, and back up any data you take. Using a temporary phone or PDA (personal digital assistant)? Remove the battery when it’s not in use, and get it checked for malware once you’re back. 
4. Stay updated with cyber security alerts from reliable sources. Create strong, regularly changed passwords and keep your antivirus and security software up to date. Encrypt sensitive data, although some countries might not let you in with encrypted gadgets. 
5. If something goes wrong, such as your device getting stolen, inform your organization and the local US embassy or consulate immediately. Once you’re back, change your passwords and have your gear checked for malware.

In this roundup feature, as we gear up for the summer season, we focus on an ignored side of our digital lives, i.e., mobile and data security. With increased travel and outdoor activities, our dependency on mobile devices increases, unknowingly exposing us to new vulnerabilities and threats. From the pitfalls of public WiFi to the silent danger of phishing attacks, understanding how to protect our digital footprint becomes important. Let’s look at essential security measures and behaviors by security experts that can safeguard our information during these active months:

How to Secure Your Mobile Devices During Summer Travel

JT Keating of Zimperium shares key advice on keeping mobile security tight during the summer when we’re all out. Surprisingly, a major portion of mobile devices get compromised not because they are tampered with but because of cybersecurity threats. 

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting mobile devices, with a staggering jump in fully exploited devices. More concerningly, phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated, targeting our mobiles directly. You’re way more likely to get misguided or tricked by a phishing link sent via text or email. That’s something to think about, right? And when we’re traveling, we face more risks. Charging our phones at public stations might seem harmless, but it can expose us to data theft and malware. The same goes for travel apps, which might be more intrusive than we think.

Read more about this here.

Why Training Programs Are Vital for Legacy IT Systems

As companies deal with an older IT workforce, they’re running into a bit of a snag. Their outdated systems aren’t user-friendly for the younger workforce, mainly because there’s a serious lack of instructions and updates. Brandon Edenfield has been chatting about how setting up training sessions within the company could help. This approach gets newbies up to speed on these ancient systems and eases them into the newer tech. Yet, ditching the old gear isn’t a walk in the park. It’s quite the project, especially since the pros who know these systems inside out are almost at retirement age.

A big headache is the old-school systems that rely on extinct languages like COBOL. Finding someone fluent in COBOL is becoming rarer than finding a unicorn because those who are, well, aren’t in the early stages of their career. This situation makes it super important to pass the torch effectively if companies want to keep up with the times and modernize smoothly.

To avoid the “black box” effect—where critical knowledge about systems is lost—organizations must prioritize maintaining historical knowledge. As modernization pressures increase, capturing this knowledge becomes even more urgent. Training programs can bridge this gap, retaining valuable expertise while facilitating the transition to modern systems.

Read more about this here.

Essential Cyber Safety Tips for Business Travelers

As business travel gets back on track, Kevin Roundy from Norton shares essential cyber safety tips for those on the go. With an expected return to pre-pandemic travel levels by the end of 2024, the risk of cyber threats for travelers is also climbing. These threats aren’t just about protecting company devices and personal cyber hygiene. Here’s a quick rundown of what Roundy suggests:

• Steer clear of public WiFi: It’s tempting to log onto that free airport or hotel WiFi, but it could expose your sensitive data to cyber crooks. Instead, use a VPN. It keeps online activities secure.
• Be cautious of public charging stations: While charging your device at one of these kiosks may be convenient, the FBI advises against “Juice Jacking,” which involves installing viruses or spyware on your device. Instead, use an electrical outlet or a USB data blocker.
• Keep your software current: Regular updates to your operating system and apps close off vulnerabilities that hackers might exploit to sneak malware onto your device.
• Turn off Bluetooth when not in use: Bluetooth can be a hacker’s gateway into your device. Disabling your device can help avoid assaults ranging from data theft to severe attacks, such as forcing it to shut down.

These tips are about more than keeping devices safe; they are also about protecting your personal and business data from cyber risks when traveling. Be safe out there!

Read more about this here.

Crucial Insights on Digital Nomads and Data Security

Apricorn’s Jon Fielding notes that the trend of digital nomads—people who work while traveling—is spreading and getting acknowledged for its potential economic benefits. The number of nomads rises quickly as new permits and networks supporting this lifestyle emerge. Employers face difficulties due to this change, particularly in maintaining data security and complying with several international data protection regulations. 

VPNs are popular but have shortcomings, and better, safer network topologies like Zero Trust are being developed. Remarkably, with a reported rise in data breaches associated with remote workers, many businesses have become careless in handling the hazards associated with remote work. Although it is highly advised to employ encryption to protect data, many businesses still need to catch up and put strong encryption mechanisms in place for devices used by remote staff.

Read more about this here.

How to Maintain Digital Security at Home

Chris Bowen from ClearDATA gives us a heads-up on how crucial it is to keep our digital space as clean as our physical one, especially with many of us working from home. Hackers are keeping an eye on our new work setups, so Bowen shares some handy tips to help keep our personal and work information safe:

1. Keep work and personal devices exclusive to their purposes to avoid unnecessary breaches. 
2. Remember what you share; your cozy work setup picture might disclose more than intended. 
3. Keep your work devices secure, even at home. The healthcare industry’s lost records serve as a cautionary tale. 
4. Regularly update your software to patch vulnerabilities targeted by hackers.
5. When you need office documents from somewhere else, try using a VPN or a similarly secure network.
6. Multi-factor authentication is a simple yet effective fence against unauthorized access.
7. Choose passwords that make a hacker’s job difficult, and avoid anything too personal or easy to guess.

Bowen also highlights the need to conduct a security risk assessment for firms dealing with sensitive information to remain compliant and secure. Being proactive about digital security can save a lot of headaches, so let’s take advantage of these precautions. And, with all of the other strains we experience today, increasing our digital protection is necessary to guarantee that we do not load cyber difficulties on top of everything else.

Read more about this here.

To sum up, staying digitally safe and adapting to technological changes are vital in today’s interconnected world. Whether safeguarding our devices during travel or updating legacy systems for modern workplaces, maintaining vigilance and adaptability is essential. Emphasizing personal cybersecurity and embracing technological updates contributes to a more secure and efficient global community.

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