8 Cybersecurity Measures all Travellers Must Follow

After going through 2 years of worldwide lockdown and quarantine, most countries around the world have opened their borders for tourism. However, while preparing for their much-awaited trips and taking all COVID-related precautions all the travel-enthusiast should also take cybersecurity measures to protect themselves from any kind of cyberattacks.

The world has changed over the last decade as everything has gone digital. Instead of physically stealing someone's ID card or other important documentation, now there are people, or should we say, hackers who steal critical information off of innocent people’s electronic devices. And Tourists can become easy victims of this deception. And so to protect your personal information from getting leaked and falling into the hands of a conman, these 8 steps should be followed.

Regular OS Update

All of our electronic devices are run by an operating system that gets regular updates when made available. This OS also has an integrated security system which protects your device from all wireless threats. Having the latest version of OS can save your device from countless unknown threats.

Digital Lock

While travelling it is common sense to always keep your devices on your person. However, if you happen to lose sight of them make sure they are always password or PIN protected.

Make sure to always change your PINs before you leave your room. Remember that this password will be the first line of defence against lawless hackers.

Stop Sharing Locations

We know for tourists or travel vloggers, it is an impulse to overshare different aspects of your journey on the spot. But this could potentially make you vulnerable to being robbed or burglarized. Suppose, you shared which hotel you are staying at, and later you share that you plan to go to this exciting bar a few blocks from the hotel.

Then you just told your followers that your belongings will be left unattended in your room. Leaving you open to various kinds of threats.

Disable Bluetooth

Bluetooth connectivity may come in handy while you are still in the comforts of your own home, but in the outside world, it could be lethal. While you are travelling you may be too busy to check whether your device has connected to any other device that can cause harm to yours. So as a precaution before going on the road make sure your device’s Bluetooth is turned off and recheck regularly.

Public Wifi

You might be going around minding your own business but unbeknownst to you someone might be hacking into your device and stealing all your sensitive information off of your phones or tablets. And all thanks to the public wireless networks. Connecting with such Wifi networks that grant you easy access to the internet can have malicious intent behind the free service.

So when out and about, try to use your own data and use VPN to keep yourself protected while browsing. Only use HTTPS sites and do not engage in online shopping.

Disable Auto-connect

Auto-connecting is a feature on some phones that allows you to automatically connect to a wireless network, Wi-fi or Bluetooth, as long as they grant your access. This feature should be disabled while you are travelling so that you don’t connect to a hostile party without any knowledge.

No Physical Contact

You might sometimes come across one or two individuals who lost their USB cable or charger and needs to charge their devices immediately through yours. Do not fall for that trick. Do not let someone connect their device to your or vice versa. Another way you could get swindled is by using a public computer.

When you have to use one do not log into your social media accounts or make any purchase, or in other words, do not give your personal information there.

Backup Plan

Before you make any project you often make a contingency plan in case the first one falls apart. Similarly, before setting out for a journey, just in case the previous steps fail to protect your data from being breached, then having a copy of your data on another device back home or the cloud is considered a genius move.