Online Security Tips for Business Travelers -315When traveling, you take the usual steps to keep you and your possessions safe, possibly to the point of enlisting help from Global Guardians. Your online security should be considered just as important. Becoming compromised while abroad can result in disastrous data breaches which can have damaging effects on your business.

Here are some online security travel tips to protect your information and privacy:

Take Specific Precautions When Using Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is commonplace in hotel lobbies and coffee shops. It's also very insecure as hackers can gain access to an unsecured device or even distribute malware through the network. Another major threat is for hackers to get in-between you and the Wi-Fi network. When this happens, your data ends up going directly to the hacker.

Avoid using public Wi-Fi if possible, and if you must use it, be sure to avoid accessing your bank accounts and sensitive information sites. If you can't avoid it, use a VPN or your browser's incognito feature. After using public Wi-Fi,  always delete cookies, history and other personal information as well.

Get Anti-Virus Software

Security apps and anti-virus software scan your device for viruses, malware, and other threats. Some anti-virus tools will alert you to unsafe Wi-Fi connections and block unauthorized attempts to connect to your device.  It’s a good practice to have something monitoring your system. This mobile security software will ensure your devices are protected at all times from any virus.

Change the Passwords on Your Device

Changing the passwords and PIN on your device before you travel and when you return goes a long way to protect your device and data. Update the passwords on every device you travel with like this. This extends beyond the PIN you use to access your phone or tablet!

If your device is unlocked by hackers, secure passwords can prevent vital information (such as your email account's username and password)  from being accessed. When creating a new password, avoid common phrases that could be easily guessed or numbers as those can be broken with brute force techniques. Instead, use a mix of numbers, symbols, and letters to create a complex password.

Consider Encrypting Your Data

Encryption is used to keep company data safe in the occurrence of laptop or smartphone theft. It works by scrambling the data on your device into ciphertext until it's unreadable to non-authorized readers. Only someone with the encryption key can reverse encryption and access the data.

Self-encrypting apps offer another layer of protection. For example, emails, attachments, and other sensitive data could only be accessed when designated users enter the app's PIN number after unlocking their phone. If the device is lost, the app could be wiped remotely without affecting the file system.

As you travel, your cyber security will be under threat. However, by implementing these tips, you can be proactive in protecting your information. The most common mistake is using free, public wi-fi without regard to the sites you access.  Be aware of this and do not access sites with private information when on an open wi-fi network.

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