Even if the legendary “digital detox” sounds like a great idea – most people should at least take their smartphone with them on vacation, probably also a laptop or a tablet. But there are dangers lurking in the WLAN networks of this world – which you can fortunately counteract effectively.
The most important travel tips are therefore divided into three categories: before, during and after the trip.
You should consider this before you travel
Before heading to the airport, make sure you update all of the devices you intend to take with you on the trip. This prevents you from becoming a victim of malware that exploits old security holes while on vacation. Also secure data carriers such as USB sticks if you want to feed them with important data and take them with you.
Your travel records and identification documents are also of paramount importance. If possible, make copies and leave the originals at home. But you should also make copies of documents that you carry with you in the original and keep them in a different bag than the templates. After all, if there is a theft, they are not left completely without documents.
Under no circumstances should a notebook or a piece of paper full of important passwords be in your luggage. In this case, be sure to use a password manager that can be secured with a secure password. And – before you leave the house – consider whether you can switch off your home WLAN for the duration of your absence. This protects against unauthorized access.
During the travel
Once on the road, the same rules always apply around the world: Particular caution is required on public computers, you should not process or enter any important data here. If you’re surfing on a public hotspot, make sure it’s secure. If it is a so-called open WLAN, act with caution and, if in doubt, refrain from using it. As a reminder: Thanks to roaming, the entire data volume of your mobile phone contract is available to you within the EU anyway.
The BSI also advises only activating wireless interfaces such as Bluetooth, NFC or Airdrop (on iPhones) for the duration of use in order to make yourself less vulnerable.
When it comes to holiday photos, the same advice applies every year: while you can of course send recent photos to friends, you should wait until you get home before posting them on social media. Otherwise you give potential burglars the live green light by announcing your absence and the distance between you and your home.
After the journey
According to the BSI, as soon as you are back home, you should carefully check any emails you may have received and view any reminders that seem more threatening after a longer absence with a healthy dose of skepticism. As always, it’s probably spam.
source: BSI