Prior to going on a trip, don’t just listen to the “usual” advice, like shutting the blinds or leaving your neighbor to house-sit your home. These precautions are just not enough. In the hyper connected world we live in, it is absolutely necessary to take other safety measures. Today, technology is all around us, and it comes with both the good and the bad. After , don’t forget to close those digital doors.
To begin, don’t tell the whole cyberworld you are going on vacation. That means—do not publish information that you are going on a trip, or at least don’t share too many details of your vacation. This information could be very useful for someone who wants to “visit” your empty house. But unfortunately, keeping your vacation secret from your Facebook or Instagram friends isn’t the only thing we should do: we also need to take precaution and deactivate GPS. If we don’t, your GPS coordinates could become public, available to hackers who use insecure apps.
Whether you decide to take your laptop along for the trip or not, remember that it’s super important to make a security backup. Backups come in handy in case you lose your laptop, it’s stolen, or broken.
We recommend preparing your Smartphone for the worst. If you lose your phone or it’s stolen, you’ll be thankful that you took precautions and installed an application to help locate or deactivate your phone. Android devices have this capability on its Android Device Manager. If you want to boost its security, make sure to install an antivirus for Android.
If your phone is stolen, you’ll be thankful that you took precautions and installed an application to help you locate it
Your computer should also have an antivirus solution installed. Before it’s too late, make sure your antivirus is updated, this way you will know you’re all patched up before you take off on your big trip.
Additionally, summertime is one of the biggest times of the year for fraud. An example: you are online, searching for a specific location for your trip, and mysteriously, your email inbox becomes full of offers for that location. Pay attention: emails are vehicles for phishing attacts, scams and spams. Don’t trust sits that ask you for personal information or ask you to download files: these sites could be infected by viruses or malware.
Remember, it is not difficult nor time consuming to put these precautionary steps into action. With a little bit of common sense and the basic security measures, you can enjoy your vacation without setbacks, at least technological ones!
Panda Security specializes in the development of endpoint security products and is part of the WatchGuard portfolio of IT security solutions. Initially focused on the development of antivirus software, the company has since expanded its line of business to advanced cyber-security services with technology for preventing cyber-crime.
