When planning your next business trip, whether domestic or abroad, it is important to keep cyber security in mind. In today’s world, you can’t afford to ignore cyber security practices when traveling. Here are some cyber security tips that you should use when on the move.
Don’t Forget to Lock Your Devices Before Traveling
When you leave for a trip, something we all do is lock the doors to the house before we leave. You should do the same thing on your devices and lock them if they aren’t already. This way if your device is stolen while traveling, there will be a lower chance of the information being compromised.
Why Strong Passwords Are Important When Traveling
While it may sound overprotective, having your sensitive information stolen is not something you want to experience firsthand. You know what you have after all, and how much keeping that information secure is worth to you. This means that you should even put passwords on your USB thumb drives. Anything that has sensitive, personal, or work-related information on it should be password protected.
Also, don’t skimp on password strength. Having a weak password is almost as bad as having no password at all. Choose passwords that are long and contain an assortment of special characters. Avoid the obvious choices such as names and dates of course, and don’t use the same passwords that you’d use in the U.S. Simple actions like putting strong passwords on your devices can reduce the discomfort of having your devices stolen in your travels.
Update Your Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware
Getting ready for a trip is a good time to update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your devices before you leave. This is an essential cyber security practice to follow, especially when visiting other countries.
Why You Should Enable Two-Step Authentication While Traveling
Two-step authentication is one of the most advanced and easy to implement cyber security practices to use when you are traveling. You can set up two-step authentication methods that require either biometric information or a separate USB device to act as a key.
Two-step authentication is an incredible security feature and should be used more in 2019 as we see increases in cyber crime that has been costing businesses enormous amounts of money. Think smart, with two-step authentication when traveling the globe.
Don’t Connect to Foreign Networks, Use a VPN Instead
The same rules on not connecting to public Wi-Fi networks in the United States also applies when travelling abroad, and for many of the same reasons. One of the most common VPN protocols is the OpenVPN protocol. OpenVPN is known to be reliable and provides plenty of security, making it a good choice for everyone. Companies like NordVPN, CyberGhost VPN and ExpressVPN all use allow for OpenVPN protocol when connecting securely.
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In Cyber Security, Cash Is King
Another savvy cyber security tip to follow when on the go abroad is to steer clear of credit cards altogether. Every place you swipe your card represents a potential risk. The easiest way to avoid this is by using cash instead of credit cards whenever possible.
Keep your Credit Card Safe with a Titanium Card Case
If you must use credit cards when traveling, be sure to carry them in a titanium case. Clever criminals can swipe information off of some credit cards through electronic pick pocketing. They do this by using powerful scanners that pick up information from credit cards that are equipped with chips. This can be done when standing up to 25 feet away.
Don’t let this happen to you and ruin your experience abroad. Protect your cards with a titanium case, and you won’t have to sweat electronic pick pocketing.
Learn How to Perform a Remote Wipe on Devices
Knowing how to perform a remote wipe on your devices will allow you to log into them if one is stolen. From there you can prevent the theft of your information before the thief gets to take a crack at it. By accessing your device, an Android phone, for example, you can delete your information before the crook can get a chance to use it.
Be sure to do this quickly, however, a clever thief could make a backup of the data if they suspected it to be worth a lot.
Mobile Device Management
One great cyber security technique that’s related to enabling remote access is to use MDM or mobile device management. This is especially useful for organizations with large numbers of personnel traveling with their work phones. Mobile device management is a great tool that can recognize and restrict unauthorized access to company data on smartphones.
Ditch Devices Used or Received Abroad
One hard-core cyber security practice to implement is to get rid of the devices that you used or got in during your travels. This extreme course of action should only be taken by professionals who are responsible for extremely sensitive company data. IT makes good cyber security sense in that if you did happen to connect to a foreign network, the device could be compromised.
In these cases, it may also be advisable to plan on ditching the devices ahead of time. If you decide to do this, you should leave your actual phone in a safe location and bring a disposable phone with you containing only the information you’ll need for the trip.