The holiday season is here! With the upcoming holiday, many of us will be traveling far and wide to see our families for the holidays. These days, there is always a risk to be found when traveling; snowy winter roads and new COVID variants just to name a couple of things. However, it is important to also be aware of the increased risk to your cybersecurity when you are traveling. Today we’re going to go over a handful of things to keep in mind while you are traveling this holiday season!
Physical Security
So often we only focus on online-based threats. However, when you leave your normal working environment, it can be easy to slip up. It is incredibly important to be aware of where your devices are at all times. Misplacing a phone, tablet, or laptop in the airport could put you or your company in a very compromised position. Not to mention how inconvenient it would be to have to replace. Always make sure to keep your devices close to you, if not on your person directly.
Backups and Updates
It’s easy to get into the habit of pushing back and delaying things like software updates. Similarly, it may seem like a hassle to create backups for your data. However, holiday traveling is the perfect time to reevaluate your personal device’s security and update things as much as you can. Software updates always come with increased and updated security for your device. Backing up the data on your device adds another layer of protection that you didn’t previously have. These are two things that are easy to forget, but important to stay cyber-safe.
Locks and Passwords
You may not often worry about keeping your device’s password locked or protected while you are at home or in the office. However, when you are traveling with your devices, this becomes much more important. Muscle memory may cause you to leave your device up and unlocked for a brief period while you focus on something else. This is the perfect window for hackers or other bad actors to take advantage of you and compromise your device.
Public Devices and Networks
Maybe you are unable to travel with all your devices. Maybe you can access all your files through the cloud. This means you could very easily hop on any free public computer instead of worrying about always bringing a device with you. Convenient? Absolutely. Safe? Absolutely not! There is no promise that public devices and public networks will be at all secure. Public computers will most likely be old and not up to date. This alone is enough reason to not use them The risk is already there. Even just using public networks is just asking for trouble. It’s impossible to know what networks you can trust just by looking at them. Even just connecting briefly could give bad actors the chance to compromise your data.
This may seem overwhelming. That is because there is an overwhelming number of cybersecurity threats out there. These tips will go a long way in keeping you safe. However, there is always more that you can do. This guide is just a starting place to help guide you in the right direction. Do you have other tips to keep you safe while you travel? Let us know on social media!
Tips to Stay Cyber-Safe While Traveling
- Don’t connect to sketchy open WIFI networks
- Keep your devices updated
- Don’t put everything in one basket/bag
- Track your device
- Keep your technology on you at all times
Who is Aspis Consulting?
Aspis is a cybersecurity consulting firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri with branches in Duluth, Minnesota, and Washington DC. Our team offers a full suite of services including Darkweb Monitoring Solutions, Cybersecurity Management Consulting, and Cybersecurity Consulting to both commercial and government clients. Aspis has a mission of democratizing cybersecurity and bringing it to anyone that needs it. Aspis Consulting has been featured in countless articles including Forbes next 1000, IBM’s newsletter, and the Chamber of Commerce’s Dream Big Awards. To learn more on how Aspis can help you with your cybersecurity in Kansas City or across the country check out our website. Also, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to stay up to do on cybersecurity news, local updates, and need to know tips.
