How to ensure safe online access during travel

Vacation surfing usually requires a board and some waves. But some people want the online variety while they’re on vacation. But getting online in a strange locale can carry some risks, meaning some basic preventive measures are needed to keep the dangers at bay.

First you have to ask yourself: Can you go two weeks without checking your emails? That kind of escape was once standard while on vacation. Now it’s unthinkable for some.

Then you have to decide if you want to try your luck at an internet cafe, which are sometime suspicious places and the source of holiday horror stories. Many of them use old computers and it’s impossible to tell if their virus protection and firewalls are up to date.

Worse, some of those computers might contain spy programmes like keyloggers that track all the activities of a person at a machine.

And there’s no way to be sure that a subsequent user might not access the browser’s history function to access a mailbox out of which you might not have properly logged out. There’s also no guarantee that a USB stick might not get infected with a virus.

Data watchdogs like Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) advise against typing any personal information into such computers. That means no online banking and no internet shopping. Clear the history when you’re done and make sure you’ve logged out of all services.

But internet cafes are becoming less and less popular as vacationers increasingly take their smartphones or notebooks on vacation with them. In some cases, roaming deals are affordable enough that its makes financial sense to get a daily or weekly plan for going online.

For everyone else who wants to surf, there’s wi—fi. But you have to be careful here as well. On the one side are secure wi—fi networks in hotels, which require a password for access, or public wi—fi access in cities, which one can access by buying a rub—off card at a kiosk. There’s no reason to worry when using either of those services.

But, just like when you’re at home, it’s best to make sure that all programmes — especially virus protection and firewalls — are up to date, advises the BSI.

On the other side of the coin are unprotected wi—fi networks, like the ones you often find at airports. Here, you have to be clear about one thing.

“Anyone with a laptop and the right software sitting within a range of a few dozen metres can read everything right along with you,” warns Russian security software provider Kaspersky Lab.

“Without encryption, the email access data is as visible as the messages themselves.” Aside from people accessing your data, the biggest danger is that people might use security gaps in your computer or smartphone to install malware. An anti—virus programme can’t do anything to protect these gaps in an operating system or ward off an attempt to eavesdrop into communications, warns Kaspersky.

It’s important to be careful and use some common sense. If, after you connect to a wireless network, the first page that comes up requests credit card information, it’s best to be sceptical. It could be the work of internet criminals who have managed to insert themselves into the registration process.

That’s exactly what happened to Kaspersky founder Eugene Kaspersky. He sees that as the best argument for why smartphones also need to be protected with a comprehensive security package. He was lucky: His software immediately signalled that a criminal phishing website was active.

Aside from viruses, trojans, phishing and other online attacks, the other regular risks of vacationing remain: the thieves who target electronic devices.

“Only take the IT devices on vacation that are absolutely necessary,” recommends the BSI. To be on the absolute safe side, any important data on the laptop you take on vacation should also be saved in an encrypted format. Obviously, you should also have the device set up so that it demands a password upon powering up or coming out of standby mode.

And there’s one more danger about which almost no—one thinks.

While you’re on vacation, people might find a way to access your home wi—fi network and perform illegal downloads, which could lead to legal trouble.

“Turn your home wi—fi off when you’re on vacation,” recommends the BSI. You can even go one step further and turn off the whole router.

And when you return from your vacation and turn your router back on for the first time to go online, first stop to make sure all your virus protection is up to date. DPA