Improve cybersecurity while enjoying luxury holidays

Tourists usually pick comfortable hotels near the city center to explore the area and enjoy the culture while traveling abroad. The city center often offers the best places to grab a bite or purchase a lovely gift. While the central area is filled with luxurious shops and charming restaurants, there are also people targeting these particular places and their clients.

The pickpockets are not the biggest threats here. Hackers are. The best way to protect oneself is to take care of cybersecurity. Hackers do not care about borders, so using the following steps will lower the chances of being hacked. 

Use strong passwords

12345 or hello123 won’t do the trick anymore. It is crucial for every person using multiple accounts to use complex and strong passwords. One person owns approximately eight social media accounts, including email and banking profiles. Usually, people do not bother to create separate passwords for each and every one of them. However, this is the main mistake making an opportunity for a hacker to intervene. 

To create a complex password, it is best to use a password generator. The top pick is NordPass, which can generate passwords up to 60 symbols with different digits and characters, including lower and upper cases. 

After password creation, better store the login information in a password manager. The password manager offers an encrypted vault meaning the information kept in the vault will be protected. It will be nearly impossible to access it externally without a master password. Also, most password manager services are compatible with different operating systems like macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows. 

You can also check all your passwords on a page known as Haveibeenpwned. This website scans the internet for any data breaches mentioning the entered password. If the password has been breached, it must be changed immediately. 

Use a VPN

Free internet is always tempting, although no matter the source – luxury jewelry store or 5-star restaurant – better not use it. One can never know who is also connected to a WIFI connection. For example, if a hacker is connected to the same network and has the right programs – he can quickly enter any other device using the same WIFI. This may cause stealing sensitive data like credit card credentials, emails, messages, etc., from a previously made online shopping purchase. 

To avoid being targeted for such attacks – try not to use public internet access or use it with a VPN service turned on. A VPN (a virtual private network) guarantees online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection. In other words, a VPN encrypts everything being done while using the internet. The encryption makes a hacker attack impossible. Therefore the user is safe. 

Do not miss system updates

System updates are rather annoying and sometimes take quite a lot of time, although they are essential. Every update is meant to fix some sort of device vulnerability or a bug. A simple update that will take a few minutes may play a crucial role in a hacking attack. 

Check the settings section for system updates and make sure all the devices are updated before traveling. Also, if the device encounters any bugs, report them to the provider. This will allow developers to avoid future errors. 

Purchase an antivirus program

Having a robust antivirus is always a good idea. Even a better idea is to use it frequently and especially while traveling. Almost every device has a pre installed antivirus. If it is not the case – install it. Also, better use a paid service to guarantee the quality of the product and get better service. 

Regularly cleaning up your phone is always a good idea and will protect the device from malicious activity. Antivirus apps will notify the user immediately when a virus is detected. On most apps, it is possible to set daily or weekly scans. 

Engage on social media after the trip

While having a lovely time during a vacation, it is almost impossible not to share pleasant experiences via social media channels. However, it is recommended to avoid doing that. Why so? 

First of all, revealing the current location may cause scammer attacks. Scammers will use every piece of information known about the person to trick them into transferring money or giving out banking information. 

Such attacks are usually performed via messages or emails. Target information is passwords or social security numbers. By gaining this information, the scammer can access a person’s email, bank, or other accounts. 

The most common attacks are called phishing. Such attacks create messages or emails that look exactly the same as the real one, such as an email from a bank, a credit card company, an online payment website, or an online store. 

Such emails will ask to perform some action: to open an attachment or click on a link. They may claim there is a problem with your account or insist on confirming your personal information. 

To identify such emails: read carefully through the email and look for personalized information. If the email is from a real sender, it will contain some identification that this email was sent to you. For example, the greeting will be personalized and not a generic one. 

The real sender will not ask to perform any actions in the email. Instead, ask to do them after logging in to the account. 

Always remember that if the bank or any other institution will not be able to reach out, they will most likely call. If the email raises suspicion, better not open it at all. 

Sharing current vacation adventures may not only cause a cyberattack, rather an actual burglary. By sharing pictures and videos, a person confirms he or she is not home. Although it doesn’t give an exact period of the vacation, it allows thieves to act and check the house or an apartment. 

 

Feature Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash