6 Steps to Improve your Security Online
33% of all travel insurance claims are for losses caused by physical pickpocketing. Yet, electronic pickpocketing is becoming more common.
When travelling both in and outside of your home country, you need to be aware of the security risks your mobile electronic devices face. The threat is no longer from individuals or gangs who have to interact with you physically. Now, your personal and critical information can be stolen remotely.
On our H.E.A.T. courses we teach corporate travellers how to operate and survive with confidence in any hostile environment. Cyberspace is just another environment and you need to take precautions. The key principle to understand is that your privacy is directly connected to your security. Improve one and you will enhance the other.
6 steps to improve your security online
- Keep copies of your health insurance, credit cards, driver’s license and passport on an encrypted USB drive. Use the secure IronKey USB drive to store all your documents. The unit is small, has military grade encryption and will self- destruct after a number of false attempts.
- Sanitise your mobile devices. Download photographs, images and personal details to your computer or cloud accounts. If you are detained or kidnapped, such images could prompt your captors to demand more.
- Do not make online purchases with your credit card on your phone. Apart from showing off your card in public and drawing attention to yourself, your handset could be compromised. If so, your credit card could be copied as you prepare for the transaction
- Password protect your mobile phone. Also, know how to use either the ” Find my iPhone” or the ” Android Device Manager” if your phone is stolen.
- Prevent spyware from collecting and stealing your sensitive proprietary information. Install anti- spyware products such as Spybot Search and Destroy, Malwarebytes and Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware.
- When you go online, use a secure browser. If making financial transactions, make sure that the web address has a secure socket layer ( eg: https://).This means that all data that is sent and received is encrypted.
Learn more about how to secure your information and maintain your privacy when travelling. Attend one of our H.E.A.T. courses and really understand what to do to be secure online.
H.E.A.T. tip: Whether you are visiting social media platforms or just browsing, protect your identity and secure your privacy by using a virtual private network ( VPN) like IPVanish, TunnelBear or NordVPN.
When travelling both in and outside of your home country, you need to be aware of the security risks your mobile electronic devices face. The threat is no longer from individuals or gangs who have to interact with you physically. Now, your personal and critical information can be stolen remotely.
On our H.E.A.T. courses we teach corporate travellers how to operate and survive with confidence in any hostile environment. Cyberspace is just another environment and you need to take precautions. The key principle to understand is that your privacy is directly connected to your security. Improve one and you will enhance the other.
