Summer is just around the corner and with that comes beach days, weekend BBQs, and vacation season! Many people are gearing up for their summer vacations and while getting out of town is always great, having your identity or personal information stolen while you’re sitting poolside is a bit less exciting. So, before you go, follow these simple tips to stay cyber-secure while you are busy soaking up the sun.
If you are like many vacation goers, you probably plan on booking much of your trip online, but be cautious...
- Be sure that the websites you using to book on are legitimate and trusted sites. Scammers can easily ‘spoof’ a URL to look very similar to any well-know travel site. Always double check the site you are using is secure by looking for HTTPS.
- When creating an account on any travel site be sure to create a secure password. A lot of personal information is used on booking sites.
Your trip is booked, and your bags are packed, but before you hit the road…
- Be sure to turn off automatic Bluetooth connectivity. This is because hackers can gain access to your devices automatically.
- Update your devices software to the most up to date operating system. Out of date software can make it even easier for hackers to get into your device because of the vulnerabilities the dated software may contain.
You are in full vacation mode, but be cautious, there are still a few things to keep in mind to stay secure all vacation long…
- Be cautious about what you post on social media while away. It can be tempting to over share details of your trip on social media (hello postcard worthily scenery, delicious food, and adorable snapshots of the kids) but this over sharing can show thieves you are far away from home. Instead, write a post along with your favorite photos from the trip and talk about the memories that were made once you have returned home.
- Be cautious with public Wi-Fi. We all do it, we are waiting for our flight at the airport or are unwinding at the hotel and wanting to check in on things, so we connect to the free public Wi-Fi, but public Wi-Fi networks leave you vulnerable to hackers. when checking in on personal items, such as, banking account and placing online orders its best to turn off the public Wi-Fi and us your cellular data instead.
- Check sensitive accounts regularly. It’s important to keep any eye on your transactions. Its always best practice to let your banking institutions know exactly where you are headed and for how long.
- Turn off location tracking on all your applications. It not only saves battery life, but it also prevents cybercriminals from knowing you are away from home. It can be especially hard to control if you have a young social media obsessed teen who are constantly posting status updates and photos. Just be sure to explain to them the ricks of broadcasting your location on the web.
While Extract is not in the business of finding the ‘best deals’ for your summer trip, we do place a great amount of value in protecting the privacy of individuals personal information. This is why we created an automated redaction solution that identifies and removes any personal identifiable information from a given document to protect them from hackers and make them available for the public to view.
About the Author: Taylor Genter
Taylor is the Marketing Specialist at Extract with experience in data analytics, graphic design, and both digital and social media marketing. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater. Taylor enjoys analyzing people’s behaviors and attitudes to find out what motivates them, and then curating better ways to communicate with them.