As we enter the holiday season, a word of caution on keeping your data safe as you travel. Remember that your phone probably holds more personal information than your wallet or even your PC! The following will help to keep your data safe while traveling.

1. It’s easy to misplace or forget your devices when traveling. Leaving a device unattended, even briefly is an invitation to theft. Lock down your devices using a PIN or fingerprint ID. In fact, it is recommended that you remove sensitive data and documents from your device’s storage prior to departing. Consider leaving unnecessary devices at home.
2. Disable your auto-connect settings for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The convenience is not worth the risk. If using public Wi-Fi, avoid accessing any personal accounts or sensitive information. You may wish to invest in a personal hot spot.
3. Watch when sharing your location. You are signaling that you are not at home, an invitation to potential thieves.
4. Keep your operating system and your anti-virus protection updated. Of course, you do have anti-virus protection on all your devices!
5. Regularly change your passwords and don’t use the same password across multiple sites.
6. Use the credit option on your debit card. Signing the receipt instead of using your PIN provides a three-day waiting period on purchases. Using a PIN means the purchase is an instant debit from your account.
7. Watch when pairing your phone in a rental car. New cars come equipped with the ability to interface with your phone for calls, texts, music, and navigation. Before returning your car, make sure to unpair your device and reset the system to factory settings.
8. A new trend in Cyber-Hacking – it’s called “juice jacking.” It seems you are never safe, even when doing something as innocuous as charging your phone or computer at the airport, hotel or any other pubic location. A hacker will modify the charging station with hardware designed to install malware on your phone or tablet. When you plug directly into the USB outlet, you compromise your device and it can become infected. Both charging ports and charging cables can be used in this manner. So that cable left behind or forgotten by its previous owner may just be a lure to infect your device. To be clear, using the electric outlet and a traditional charging “brick” (the element between the power supply and charge cord) is perfectly safe. It is not possible to hack a charger to install malware. The risk is plugging directly into a “foreign” USB port.

• Use a data-blocking adapter that sits between the USB port and your cable. You can also use a “charge only” USB cable.
• As mentioned before, use the electric outlet, not the USB port to charge.
• Use a portable battery. These are being built into backpacks and suitcases for easier charging while traveling. Some of these allow you to charge the battery via USB port while charging your phone from the battery.
• Note the red flag. When an iPhone connects to a computer or other device that wants to access data, a pop-up message displays asking if you wish to “Trust This Computer.” The Android message will ask “Use USB for” – either way unplug quickly and use an alternate message to charge your phone.