7 Essential Tips to Ensure Online Safety While Traveling

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Summer is here, and most tourists are busy packing their mobile devices, tablets, and other devices into their luggage—along with sunscreen and books.

It is unnecessary to mention that cybercriminals are watching and waiting for your vacation, too.

These criminals search social media platforms to identify people who are away from their houses and whose houses are vacant.

They also hack public Wi-Fi networks to steal personal info and have only recently started putting fake charging stations in public that add malware to your devices.

Let’s delve into the specifics of the most valuable safety advice for keeping you safe during your travels.

1. Prevent Yourself From Using Public Wi-Fi

As we know, you are open to different threats to your data while surfing public Wi-Fi.

Although it is preferable to avoid using public Wi-Fi, there are situations in which no other option exists but to connect to it.

However, if connection over public Wi-Fi becomes a risk, you should use a VPN with your internet connection.

2. Always Keep Your Devices In a Safe Place

While traveling, pay attention to your phone, laptop, or any other device.

Using your phone more can also make your phone more prone to theft or loss, and your phone may have plenty of sensitive data that you wouldn’t like anyone to get access to by any means.

As most pickpockets are active when traveling abroad, you should not let down your guard at all and keep your phone close to yourself so it is protected against thieves.

3. Share Photos With Care

Think twice before sending photos that let others know where you are from.

Being away from home is great knowledge for the criminal which may result in targeting your home.

Apart from the above, consider disabling location permission on your devices for social media applications or specify additional information like country or city instead of a particular address.

Changing the location is also the most secure way.

So, if you are an iPhone user and don’t know how to change location on iphone, then you must search online.

This way, you can ensure your safety while on your travel.

4. Prefer to Lock Down Your Log-ins

Usernames and passwords are not enough to safeguard the most critical accounts, such as those used for email, banking, and social networks.

Don’t forget to strengthen your online security with a multifactor authentication (MFA) setup if provided.

MFA works by providing a password and sending a message to your phone number as a two-factor authentication.

5. Take Advantage of Password/Passcode

Implement a passcode for your mobile phone, which could be accompanied by an additional security feature like a finger swipe pattern or a fingerprint scanner.

Also, set your screen to auto-lock after a short period as the default setting.

6. Avoid Using Public Charging Stations

Another major travel safety tip is to use a wall socket to charge your charger if you have one or take an extra battery to recharge your mobile devices rather than using public charging stations.

Stealthy cyber-criminals can modify the internal structure of USB ports to install malware on your phone or even steal your data.

7. Aware of Your Destination’s Laws

If you are going out of the country, research country-specific laws on internet and device use.

Moreover, take the fewest gadgets with you and buy a device specially designed for international travel.