This article is published in collaboration with Bitdefender.
You may be one of the best, safety-minded travelers in the world, but travelers especially are at risk of being hacked, your identity stolen, and potentially scammed. smart.
As a former IT technician, I like to think of myself as pretty “up there” in terms of tech savvy. But I was completely confused when I received an unexpected PayPal invoice from a company I did business with in the past.
Turns out, it was a fake invoice, sent through PayPal, using that company’s name. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I almost paid for it.
Scammers and hackers are getting smarter. It’s not my intention to scare you, but it helps in understanding digital security. Here, I’ve presented some of my most effective tips on ways you can keep your privacy safe while traveling, starting with the very basics.
1. Use two-factor authentication
This is the easiest to implement and will provide the greatest amount of protection for the least amount of effort.
Two-factor authentication, also known as Multi-Factor Authentication (2FA or MFA), requires you to receive a one-time code via text message, email, or a secure authenticator app like Google Authenticator. This gives you an extra layer of protection on top of your password.
Whenever possible, you should enable two-factor authentication on your account.
It is important to know that the security questions are Not a good safety measure. Security questions can often be a liability, as they are easily discovered by hackers. Your mom’s maiden name isn’t a secret, and someone might find your first cat’s name from an old Facebook post.
Another, more secure version of MFA is a hardware validator like YubiKey, which asks you to plug in a small USB drive to verify that it’s you. Just don’t lose it!
2. Protect your privacy with a VPN
The next high for your money? Use a VPN.
The concept of a virtual private network (VPN) may seem daunting at first, but it’s actually quite simple. A VPN protects your privacy by routing your internet traffic through a secure data “tunnel”. It also encrypts the traffic, making it unreadable to anyone do find a way into that tunnel.
On top of that, a VPN will protect your important data, such as login information (username and password), banking information, and credit card details. Even if a hacker finds their way into your connection, they will only see nonsense instead of actual data.
The Bitdefender VPN is one of the best priced options on the market, offering a super secure connection at a very reasonable price. VPNs can also help you access blocked websites (depending on the country you’re visiting), VoIP services, and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
3. Lock your SIM card with pin number
Worried that, even if you enable 2FA, hackers can still break into your phone and intercept the one-time code? You should.
This is a real world scenario with real world consequences. And the solution is simple: lock your SIM card with a pin number.
Not only does it protect your phone number if your phone is stolen, but it also denies any access to the SIM card without a password — including hackers.
Depending on the type of phone you’re using, you may be able to find your SIM PIN in your settings. For example, with an iPhone, just go to Settings and then Cellular. Note: you’ll have to get back your original PIN, aka Pin Unlock Code (PUK) first. Just check with your carrier.
4. Watch out for scams and scams
I am more and more amazed by how sneaky and clever scammers have become. Scams and scams are getting pretty advanced and even I sometimes have a hard time figuring out what’s legit.
Terrible misspellings and clearly spoofed emails are a clear sign, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
First of all, don’t reply to a text message if you don’t know who the sender is. Scammers often send messages continuously, and if you reply, you are validating your phone number. They may try to hack your phone or use your phone number elsewhere for authentication purposes.
Another call to lock your SIM with a pin code.
Never click on links from emails or messages from your bank or other social media platforms without double-checking everything (and even calling your bank if necessary). Scammers will sometimes pretend to be your bank, send you a low balance warning via text or email, and ask you to click a link. This will take you to a fake website that looks like the official website of the bank and you will end up entering your bank details and get scammed.
And then there are the actual messages from Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms. Recently, I received an email from Instagram that appeared to be perfectly legitimate, saying that my content is copyrighted. The link provided took me to a fake website that asked me to enter my Instagram credentials to view details of the breach.
If you receive a strange message from a friend on Facebook or Instagram, question everything. A few weeks ago, a friend on Instagram asked me to vote for them in a contest. I said of course, and they asked for my phone number to send me a link to vote. Then they want me to screenshot the link and send it to them. What really happened? They sent me an Instagram password reset URL and are trying to hack my account manually.
Finally, don’t pay bills you don’t expect. This may seem obvious, but some people are sending legitimate invoices through PayPal and Quickbooks. It’s like spam, but instead of sending emails from generated email addresses, they send legitimate invoices through legitimate platforms. It’s very easy to get confused.
5. Use a Password Manager
How many different passwords do you use? Hopefully more than one.
For the highest level of security, you should use a different password for each account you have. Today, it’s not just a suggestion, it’s a basic requirement. If you’re using a single password for all of your accounts, other people can use that password to access every other account you own.
Let’s say your Netflix account was hacked — they now have your master password. If that password is the same as your online banking password, you are in big trouble.
Of course, there’s no way you could remember dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of passwords (and if you store all your passwords in a Word document on your desktop… I don’t know what to say. what to you). By using a password manager like the word Bitdefenderyou can store all your passwords in a secure “vault” and access them with a single common password.
That means you only have to use one password to access all of your passwords, and if one account is compromised, that security is isolated to that one account.
6. Only make online payments with trusted vendors
I’m sure you’ve heard of all the common credit card hacks, like skimming (where debit and credit card data is stolen while the user is at the ATM). But today, credit card hackers are a lot smarter.
We’re always flooded with ads, whether it’s TikTok or Facebook or Instagram – but it’s hard to know which company is legit. And those companies may be selling your information to third-party companies.
For example, one of my friends keeps getting her Visa compromised. When she called to find out why, the rep asked her to start looking at all her bank statements and delete any credit card data saved with providers. .
For one-time payments, some banks will even give you a “virtual” credit card number, which is a virtual form of your real credit card. Bank of America will give you a unique card number in a digital wallet that is different from your physical card, so you can’t access it from your digital wallet if your phone is stolen.
7. Know the Risks of the Open Network
Public, unsecured WiFi networks can pose a risk to your privacy and security, mainly because they are open to everyone. If you have no trouble connecting to this network, neither should anyone else. It’s like leaving your front door open. Eventually, an unwanted guest will walk in.
If a hacker is using the same open network as you, they can read all your messages, steal your personal data and even break into your device to continue stealing data even when you have logged in in the evening.
You can prevent this from happening by avoiding using public WiFi networks, especially if they lack password protection. You should also avoid WiFi networks where passwords are easily displayed (for example, in a coffee shop or at a hotel). You can also turn off autoconnect to not automatically connect to open networks.
Even so, completely avoiding public WiFi is not possible, especially if you are working on the road. If you have no choice but to use such a network, consider increasing the security of your device by using a VPN.
7. Monitor your account
On the subject of password protection, you should also change your password regularly and check if your login information is exposed. For example, if you use Google Chrome, you can go to Password Manager > Privacy and Security and check for data breaches and security issues. I do this regularly (once a month or so). It’s super simple.
Or, you can use a handy software like Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection will scan the web for leaks of personal data and continuously monitor whether your account is exposed. Having a reliable identity protection service will give you extra peace of mind.
8. Only use HTTPS sites
We’ve officially moved on to the more boring technical parts of online security now, but stay with me.
HTTP was the standard for many years, but today most websites use HTTPS to protect visitors from privacy violations. Like VPNs, HTTPS also relies on encryption to prevent attackers from intercepting data that is being shared between the website and its visitors.
This includes messages, emails, transfers, banking information, credit card details, and login information. The whole idea is that hackers won’t be able to decrypt data between you and a website if HTTPS is being used.
Modern web browsers, such as Google Chrome, display HTTPS sites differently than HTTP sites. You can check if the website you’re visiting uses HTTPS with a quick look in the address bar. HTTP sites flagged as Not safe, while HTTPS sites show a padlock icon next to the URL on the left.
Please keep in mind that VPN and HTTPS These are two very different things: HTTPS only encrypts browser traffic, but a VPN gives you system-wide protection that includes all Internet-enabled applications (like browsers, email, SMS, etc.) your). The best thing you can do to keep your privacy safe is to double down on using a VPN and also connecting to HTTPS sites only (whenever possible).
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While each of the tips I’ve provided here is very effective, I recommend following them all (or as many as possible) to ensure that your online privacy is safe.
The bottom line is that hackers and cyber attackers are getting smarter by the day. When you stay focused on protecting your privacy, you’ll be able to avoid identity theft and a host of other problems. Pay attention to where you’re putting your personal information and you’ll be fine!
