TIPS ON HOW TO PREP YOUR PHONE FOR A CYBER-SAFE VACATION
The latest security report from Broomfield’s Webroot sounds like an old curmudgeon: Don’t use free public Wi-Fi while traveling. Lock your device. And, my goodness, don’t even think about posting photos or Tweeting about your trip while you’re still on the trip.
Webroot, the 20-year-old security software developer, does have a point, and bad behavior online is not difficult to find.
Grayson Milbourne, Webroot’s security intelligence director, said he knows of true tales of free wireless hot spots set up in public areas to lure unsuspecting users and steal data.
Auto-locking one’s phone would have come in handy for the one in five millennials who reported losing their mobile device while traveling, according to Webroot’s 2016 U.S. Traveler Security Study, which looked at millennials’ and baby boomers’ attitudes on cybersecurity and travel.
And of course, warnings have been around for years on oversharing vacation plans that could tip off strangers when you’re not home. Sites like PleaseRobMe.com have been around since 2010. Plus, metadata in some image files could share location details, although Twitter and others now strip this EXIF data out of photos.
“Know your audience,” Milbourne said. “If I have a Facebook account and I’ve been vigilant that only a certain type of people can see my updates, I’m less concerned because I know who I’m sharing with. Twitter is more of an open forum, so whatever you share is shared with the world.”
The survey was conducted in May 2016 by polling 201 millennials and 204 baby boomers in the United States. Results separated the security habits of the two generational Nearly two-thirds (59 percent) of millennials share their personal travel plans on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Among baby boomers, 71 percent said they never share such information on social networks. Severiano Galván, The Denver Post; photos: Thinkstock by Getty Images groups, and the findings were not too surprising.
For example, nearly twothirds (59 percent) of millennials share their personal travel plans on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Among baby boomers, 71 percent said they never share such information on social networks.
“Older people are just more security-minded because they have a lot more to lose,” like a house, Milbourne said. “Younger people in general are a little more daring and cocky in how they approach the world.”
What the two generations do share is a concern over the security of personal information. No matter what their age, the majority of both age groups is concerned with the security of their credit card accounts and Social Security numbers.
The one surprise? Most people don’t have some kind of security software on their mobile device.
“Boomers are just under half, but millennials are 10 percent below that, at 39 percent. But I bet most use some sort of security
Tips for a cyber-safe vacation
B If you plan to take a mobile device with you, back up the data. This is an important defensive measure in recovering from a cyberattack or lost device while traveling. B Keep your antivirus software up to date on your mobile devices. B Don’t connect to free public Wi-Fi when traveling. Cybercriminals are known to create ad-hoc networks that look like free internet but actually steal your data. B Keep your device with you at
all times. B Use a password to lock your device in case it’s stolen or lost. (The top three places to lose a device are restaurants, hotels and parks.) B Don’t share your personal travel plans on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.