Sun, Sand, and Cybersecurity

From the Desk of Thomas F. Duffy, Chair, MS-ISAC

School’s out and the beach and mountains are calling. It is that time of the year when so many of us pack our bags and hit the open road or head to the airport for a well-earned vacation. We may be ready to take a break from our normal lives, but we still need to be cyber secure while we are enjoying our time off! In this month’s edition, we will explore some ways to be safe and smart with our devices, Internet usage, and social media while out travelling on vacation.

UStop-Think-Share

Always be careful about how much you post on social media about your vacations before and during your travels. Criminals can and do watch online posts to find people that are on vacation because that means you have left your home unattended. Before “checking in” to a location on a social network, consider what else you are sharing – like the information that you aren’t home. Consider skipping the “check in” and making your vacation posts after you have gotten back. This is another way people can see you aren’t home. Perhaps this will have the double benefit of letting you take the time to choose only the best photos to post after your trip is over! At the very least, consider using privacy settings that only let friends see your posts. Additionally, consider turning off GPS and auto-tagging/auto-check in features, if you have them enabled.

Disable WiFi auto-connect services

Some devices have an auto-connect feature that will search for and automatically connect to available and accessible WiFi networks without your interaction. This can allow your device to automatically connect to an unencrypted, public WiFi network, or even one that was set up by a malicious actor to eavesdrop on your browsing and connection activity.

If you want to connect to a store or hotel’s network, check with an employee to see what the correct network is called, and see if they can provide a network password for a more secure, encrypted network. Always use a secure, encrypted network that requires login credentials if you have the option. In the event that isn’t an option, and you can use your phone as a WiFi hotspot, use that instead to get a more secure connection for another device that can’t make direct use of the cellular network’s connection. Additionally, make sure you do not choose to “remember this network” or “join this network automatically” once you have settled on a more trusted network for use during your vacation. If you have these settings switched on for a very generically named network, your device may connect you to a less secure one that happens to have the same name. Even if you have this turned off, there’s another setting that will automatically connect you to a network you have joined before, which can be a problem since your device doesn’t know the difference between your coffee shop’s “Guest” network and a malicious “Guest” network. Turn these settings off so you don’t automatically connect, and choose to connect only to more trusted, safer WiFi networks.

Secure Your Information in Transit

Keep an eye out for that little lock icon on your browser, or the “https” in the URL! Sites that are taking security seriously will encrypt the sensitive information you are exchanging with the site. This is a strong way to ensure that your online activities like shopping or submitting personal information are protected.

The small lock icon or “https” at the beginning of the URL are indicators that encryption is
currently in use. The lock icon is commonly found in the address bar on the most popular
browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Internet Explorer.

Keep your devices close, and keep them locked when not in use!

Whether it’s your laptop, tablet, or smartphone, be sure to keep your device on you or with someone you trust. Never leave a device unattended in an airport, train station, restaurant, hotel lobby or anywhere else in public while travelling. There is a common scam that targets people who leave devices sitting next to them. In this scam, another traveler will approach you and ask for help and then lay a newspaper or map down over your device. While you’re distracted answering their question, they are picking up and pocketing your device under the cover of the newspaper or map!

Set a strong password: Use at least 8 characters in upper and lower case, numbers, and symbols

Set a strong pattern lock: Use at least 7 points and double it back over itself with at least 2 turns

The information provided in the Monthly Security Tips Newsletter is intended to increase the security awareness of an organization's end users and to help them behave in a more secure manner within their work environment. While some of the tips may relate to maintaining a home computer, the increased awareness is intended to help improve the organization's overall cyber security posture. This is especially critical if employees access their work network from their home computer. Organizations have permission and are encouraged to brand and redistribute this newsletter in whole for educational, non-commercial purposes. Disclaimer: These links are provided because they have information that may be useful. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) does not warrant the accuracy of any information contained in the links and neither endorses nor intends to promote the advertising of the resources listed herein. The opinions and statements contained in such resources are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of CIS.