When you travel, it’s crucial to remember that your digital security needs to be just as mobile and well-prepared as you are. The usual advice—such as creating and properly storing strong passwords and avoiding unsecured Wi-Fi without a VPN—are great tips that we share all the time, but today, keeping your personal and professional data secure is a little more complicated. We’ve put together five security tips that are outside the norm to help you navigate your travels with confidence.
Before you depart on your trip, consider what digital assets you truly need. Instead of carrying devices loaded with your entire digital footprint, decide what you absolutely need and plan on that technology as the sole means. This could mean using a dedicated travel laptop or tablet, or even a specific user profile on your primary device, loaded only with essential files and applications for that trip.
Reducing the amount of data you carry directly reduces your potential risk. Think of it as packing light. Minimizing your attack surface is always one of the most important aspects of reducing your risk of a cyberattack.
For highly sensitive information that isn’t required for your immediate tasks on the road, question if it needs to be digitally accessible during your travel at all. Consider storing such data on an encrypted USB drive; kept very securely and separately from your main devices, or, for key summaries, even a physical copy locked in a secure location.
If you are like many people, leaving home without your smartphone is unthinkable. Therefore, even if you bring a dedicated device for the trip, you will likely also have your personal smartphone with you. This does carry some risk, however. Consider using a Faraday bag, a small sleeve that you can place your mobile device in when traveling, which prevents signals from reaching the device. Think about it as the ultimate airplane mode. You can’t be tracked, hacked, or anything else if your device is in this little bag. The smartphone is possibly the most important piece of technology for travelers (and for regular people), so doing what you can to protect it when you are traveling is extremely important.
Information that isn't connected to a network, or is inaccessible, is significantly harder to compromise remotely. It’s a timeless security principle; the most secure way to transmit certain information has often involved taking it off the grid.
Well before your departure, conduct a thorough digital systems check. This goes beyond just updating your passwords. Review and minimize app permissions on all your travel devices: does every app really need access to your location or contacts? Uninstall applications not essential for your trip. Log out of non-essential accounts on your browsers and clear your cache and download history.
Many users unknowingly grant excessive permissions to apps, creating unnecessary data exposure points. We often recommend implementing Mobile Device Management (MDM), which can automate some of these checks and enforce security policies on traveling devices.
If you're looking to ensure your organization's technology, cybersecurity, and IT management are working to protect your digital assets, give us a call today at (571) 470-5594.
