How to protect your phone from hacking while traveling
Today, a phone, laptop, and tablet are essentials that necessarily accompany us on long and short trips, including during vacations. It's convenient, but active use of these devices with Internet access carries the risk of hacking and information theft.
The Better Business Bureau, a reputable non-profit organization that specializes in building trust in the marketplace, has given some useful tips for travelers on information security. By following them, SSPDaily learned how to effectively protect your phone and other devices from hackers.
So, the first thing that the BBB recommends is not to take unnecessary storage media on the road, but to limit yourself to the most necessary things.
Next, be careful when charging. Avoid direct connections to public USB ports, where there is a high possibility of contact with malware. In this case, an external battery (power bank) and your own charging cable are ideal for safely charging your device.
The Better Business Bureau also recommends checking your settings. In particular, disable the automatic connection to WI-FI, activate the "Find My Phone" option, and check the status of security settings for apps.
In addition, it is important to
- set up password protection;
- connect and update the antivirus;
- create a backup of all important digital data;
- remember to log out of streaming services;
- use secure WI-FI and avoid public networks whenever possible.
Your information security will be significantly enhanced if you take passwords seriously, making them easy to remember but as difficult as possible to crack. The standard form of such a password is 12 characters. It's best if it's a phrase that makes sense to you, reinforced by a few other characters. But using all kinds of clichés - names, easy-to-guess numeric combinations, pet names, etc. - is highly discouraged.