6 Summer Travel Security Tips to Keep You Safe

The majority of us carry a bunch of devices containing both personal and work-related information. Keeping them protected requires particular attention while we’re on vacation. With that in mind, we put together our essential summer travel security tips to keep your data secure and help you enjoy a stress-free holiday you deserve!

• Save digital copies of important personal documents

A stolen bag or a lost wallet can turn any holiday into a nightmare. To improve travel security, ease your worries and accelerate administration, create a copy of your travel documents (IDs, passport, driving license, insurance papers) and credit card numbers and upload them to a secure cloud storage service.

If you chose Tresorit, you can access these notes safely through web access even if all your devices are lost (you’ll find some safe tips on browsing below).

• Use a strong passcode or fingerprint recognition on your mobile

If you leave your phone unattended on the beach or in a café, your data can easily get into wrong hands. To protect data on your mobile, use fingerprint recognition or create a long passcode and set up short timeout (preferably immediate lock). To add an extra layer of account security, you can also create additional passcodes for individual apps.

• Set up auto upload and remote wipe

If your phone is stolen, your travel insurance may cover the lost device, but not for the nice pictures and videos you took. To keep your memories safe, set up automatic photo upload to a secure, end-to-end encrypted cloud service.

Tresorit also has a remote wipe feature, which lets you delete sensitive files from your lost or stolen phone or laptop while keeping them secure in the cloud.

• Allow another country in your password manager app and use authenticator app

We hope you are all using a password manager by now to create and store strong passwords! If you do not adjust the password manager’s location limits before traveling, you can get easily locked out of the apps you want to use. So don’t forget to review the settings! If you are using two-factor authentication as well, make sure to install an authenticator app instead of the phone verification – you might have a temporary SIM-card for your holiday internet access and therefore text codes will not work.

• Use VPN or data plan instead of Wi-Fi

Public wireless connections are the least secure as it is relatively easy for hackers to intercept data. In-flight WiFi access can also sound convenient; however, it’s a “hacker’s paradise”, so try to stay away from it. During your vacation, use VPN (Virtual Private Network) or sign up for a data plan in the country you travel to and connect to your computer with tethering. If you must use Wi-Fi, always check whether you’re accessing the internet via a safe HTTPS connection (your browser helps you in this)!

• Choose a secure file sharing service for remote work

If you keep our tips in mind and use a secure cloud-based file sharing service, you can safely access your work-related files even from a sandy beach.

With Tresorit, you can access the most important files as quickly as possible. If you have a tablet, you can also edit files from your iPad (learn how).

• +1 Avoid public USB charging stations

Public charging stations might appear handy, but as Kaspersky Labs found out they are risky as well: mobile devices can be hacked or infected with malware using USB connection. Only use trusted charging stations, or, the best, never forget to bring your charger! If you forgot it or don’t have the right type of adapter for the country you are staying in, the best option is to buy a new one.