Safeguard You - Travellers

Cyber Safety Tips for Travellers

When you are traveling, you might connect your device to public networks in hotels, airports, train stations and conference halls where there may be minimal security features leaving your devices exposed to threat actors.

Consider following these security tips when traveling to secure your devices and data.

Computers/Gadgets Security

Keep your device's software up to date and ensure trusted antivirus is installed on all your devices.
Don’t leave your devices unsupervised in public places & enable "Find My iPhone/Find my Device” so you'll be able to locate it.
Avoid connecting your devices to public charging stations to prevent unauthorized access.
Disable Auto-Connect:Most electronic devices have a setting that allows a device to automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks as you are at close proximity to that known range. This should not be allowed while traveling abroad make sure to change this setting so that your smartphone and laptop must be manually connected each time you wish to access the Web.
Disable Bluetooth Connectivity: Just like your phone's automatic Wi-Fi connectivity, bluetooth connectivity can cause security risks, so make sure to keep bluetooth disabled as much as possible while traveling abroad.

Public Wi-Fi Security

Be Cautious of Public Wi-Fi: Staying connected whilst you are travelling is a necessity and at many times free wifi access seems like the only choice but this choice could be vulnerable to security issues. Practice cautiousness while using free Wi-Fi hotspots; if you must use them, avoid accessing personal accounts or sensitive data while connected to that network and make sure MFA is enabled for on all your accounts.

If you are using your work-related devices, please make sure that you use your corporate VPN provided by the IT staff, to connect to your office network.
Make sure the websites that you visit are secure and are genuine when connecting to public Wi-Fi.

Protecting your Banking Accounts

Besides informing your bank that you will be travelling and that you will be using your card abroad so they can monitor any suspicious activities and alert you, you should arrange with your carrier to receive text messages about your transactions abroad.
It’s best to carry your cards in a card sleeve or RFID wallet that blocks RFID transmissions which prevents credit card scanning.
Notify the bank as soon as you suspect that your card security information has become exposed, such as your PIN.
To prevent credit card skimming, and depending on your destination, don’t use free-standing POS terminals in areas away from the main city. These are the most likely targets for skimmer action. Deal directly with a teller or cashier when exchanging money.