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From the desk of Jason Balderama, CISO, County of Marin
After 3+ years of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the public health emergency declared over, 2023 may be the year when more people decide to travel. You might be planning an exotic trip abroad, a road trip across the California coastline, or a quiet staycation close to home. While vacation is an opportunity to take a break and recharge, you will likely stay connected with your devices, apps, social media, and e-mail.
Cyber criminals don't take a break and cyberattacks can happen anywhere at any time. No matter your destination, let's review some cybersecurity tips to help you stay safe on vacation.
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Back Up Your Data. Whether you back up your data to the cloud, an external hard drive, or both, make sure that you have good backups of your data before you leave.
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Update Your Devices. Set your devices and software to automatically update and install any updates you can before you go. Those updates don’t just contain new features, but fix security flaws to help keep you protected.
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Secure Your Devices and Accounts. Use strong and unique passwords on all your devices and accounts and enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) as an added layer of protection. If you have several passwords to keep track of, consider using a password manager to help keep your accounts secure.
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Book Your Vacation With Trusted Companies. When booking transportation, lodging, and activities, it is important to only use companies that you know and trust. Beware of phishing e-mails with special offers and discounts that sound too good to be true, because they probably are. When booking or verifying your travel arrangements, it is safer to visit and login to a company's web site directly rather than clicking confirmation links in e-mails and texts.
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Keep Your Devices Safe. Whether it is your laptop, tablet, or smartphone, be sure to keep your devices on you or with someone you trust at all times. Never leave a device unattended in an airport, train station, restaurant, hotel lobby, or anywhere else in public while traveling.
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Avoid Open Public Wi-Fi. While open public Wi-Fi is convenient, it is also a big security risk. Avoid connecting to open public Wi-Fi unless absolutely necessary. The use of hotel Wi-Fi that has a unique password that is issued to you at check-in at major hotel chains is generally safe to use. If secure Wi-Fi is not provided, consider using your smartphone as a hotspot for your other devices.
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Do Not Use USB charging stations. Never plug your phone into a public USB charging station, such as those in the airport or in your hotel room lamp or clock radio inputs, as these cannot be trusted. Cyber criminals can hijack your session or install malware on your device through those seemingly harmless means. Always connect using your own power adapter connected to a power outlet.
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Don’t Overshare on Social Media. Consider posting updates about your trip after you return. Criminals may see that you are travelling based on social media activity and use the opportunity to break into your home. If you share too many details about where you are on your trip, scammers may attempt to contact your family and friends. Consider setting your social media accounts to only allow friends to view your posts and content.
I hope you all take a well-deserved vacation this summer, just be sure that you don't take a vacation from practicing good cybersecurity habits.
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Copyright © 2023 County of Marin, All rights reserved. |
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Disclaimer
The information provided in Marin CyberSafe News is intended to increase people’s awareness of cybersecurity and to help them behave in a more secure manner. Links in this newsletter are provided because they have information that may be useful. The County of Marin 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 County of Marin.
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