cybersecure christmas
If there is something good about winter, for those who do not like the cold, is that it offers us a holiday respite . Christmas allows the most adventurous to make a getaway to their favorite destination, and those who normally live away from home, meet up with your loved ones for the celebrations of those days.
Whatever your case, if during these dates you plan to leave your habitual residence , you may have considered what to do to avoid unpleasant surprises when you return. We all have the traditional advice in our heads: close doors and windows well or tell a neighbor to water the plants and, incidentally, make sure that everything is still in its place. However, in the 21st century, these precautions need a facelift, an update to adapt to the 2.0 world in which we live. Technology is all around us, for better and for worse, so in addition to paying attention to locks, don't neglect digital front doors.
1. BEWARE OF THE BARGAINS
You are looking for the ultimate travel offer and, mysteriously, proposals are raining in your inbox. Better to be vigilant: the post office is a vehicle for phishing attacks, scams and spam. Do not trust if they ask you for personal data or if they encourage you to download a file: it could be a virus.
two. SAFE SHOPPING
If you already know what your destination will be, all you have to do is book the places in the chosen means of transport and the hotel rooms. Shopping on the internet, especially on the most used platforms, does not have to entail risks if it is done safely. That the page in question contacts your bank is a good sign , but keep an eye on your accounts to make sure there aren't any unexpected charges.
Beware of bargains!
3. NO NEED TO TELL IT ALL
You go on a trip and the excitement makes you want to tell everyone. The easiest way to let your friends know without having to talk to them one by one is to use social media. However, announce it to the four winds on the internet means that people outside your circle can also find out , including possible criminals who are searching the Internet for victims.
Four. NO LOCATORS
Perhaps, even avoiding giving explicit data about the trip in your posts on social networks, tweets or posts on Facebook and Instagram do it for you. If you have the location by GPS activated at any time, applications can use it to reveal a location that does not match your address, or even the town where you live. Conclusion that anyone can draw: you're on vacation.
5. SAVE A COPY
Whether you take your laptop with you or leave it at home, make a backup of the system and keep it in a safe place. And the same in the case of your smartphone (I'm sure you won't abandon it) and tablet: they can be stolen or become unusable for some reason.
6. UP DATE
Before leaving, update your antivirus and make sure you have the firewall activated . This way you make sure that you leave home with all the vaccinations. If you don't, threats may sneak onto your laptop if you connect to a public Wi-Fi network, such as a coffee shop or hotel where you're staying.
Be careful not to leave technological breadcrumbs...
7. BE CAREFUL WITH USING OTHER COMPUTERS
You have left home without the laptop (it did not fit in the suitcase), but you have realized that you need to consult something urgently. Avoid it as much as possible, but if you are forced to use a computer of a parlor or a hotel, try not to leave a trace. Log out of all the accounts you open (mail, social networks, etc.) so that your data is not recorded and make sure that the browser does not remember the passwords.
8. AVOID CONNECTING TO PUBLIC NETWORKS
Whether it is a mobile phone, a tablet or a computer, it is not highly recommended that you connect to public Wi-Fi networks such as those in bars, restaurants or hotels. They are often used by cybercriminals to steal information from Internet users. If you really need it, at least try not to download any program or browse unknown pages.
9. TECHNOLOGICAL BREAD CRUMBS
Theft and loss of mobiles are common, especially during a trip, when adventurers have to take care of many things at once. It is not that the world is going to end, but precautions are never enough. One way to increase the chances of recovering a device is to install an app or activate the feature (on Android) to locate your mobile remotely and be able to deactivate it.
Always make a backup
10. PRECAUTIONS DO NOT END ON THE JOURNEY
Once the adventure is over, we usually throw away the printed boarding passes without much concern. They end up in the garbage, but, although they no longer serve us, they still store a lot of personal information in the barcode (name, surnames, airports visited...)
Computer security expert Brian Krebs has discovered that, if they also contain the frequent flyer number, cybercriminals could access the account and even more sensitive data like mobile phone. One note: If you upload the photograph of your boarding pass to a social network, you run the same risk.
The precautions to take into account are not many or very complicated. With a little common sense and some minimal security measures like these, you can enjoy the holidays without setbacks (at least in the technological plane) .
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