SAN JOSE, CA — (Marketwired) — 07/31/13 — It-s summer vacationing season, when people pack up their smartphones and tablets, sunscreen and tank tops and set off for a change of pace. With connected devices, it-s never been easier to find one-s way around a new place, record memories, and stay in touch with friends back home. But while technology makes traveling easier, * pinpoints the digital areas that need special consideration while on the road.
When traveling it-s convenient to use public Wi-Fi hotspots in places like airports and restaurants, but 52 percent of people say they are concerned about the security and privacy of public Wi-Fi, and rightly so. , Security Advisor at F-Secure Labs, says that public Wi-Fi networks should be thought of as just that: public. Because you-re sharing the network with strangers, there-s the risk that someone is using readily available software that snoops on what you-re doing.
“It may feel private because you-re using your personal device, but it-s not,” Sullivan shared. He advises against doing anything via public Wi-Fi that you wouldn-t want an eavesdropper to know — including logging into accounts with passwords. “I use public Wi-Fi happily for a topic I would discuss with a friend on the metro. Banking, I do at home,” he stated.
The same goes for using public computers in places like libraries or Internet cafes. Sullivan recommends using them only for doing innocuous things like reading the news, as password-stealing spyware could be hosted on the machine.
If you must use public means to communicate with loved ones, one tip is to create a separate vacation email account that you-ll use only while on holiday. “That way if someone hacks your vacation email account, they might see emails with your mom and the cat sitter, but they won-t have access to the other sensitive data that would be in your main email account,” he concludes.
When it comes to dealing with personal finances, 85 percent of people say they do online banking from their computers, and 24 percent from their smartphones. So what if you absolutely must make a transaction while on vacation? It-s probably best to use your mobile data plan with your bank-s mobile app, even if it means roaming a bit. It may cost more but it-s cheaper than getting your account cleaned out.
But banks use https connections, so aren-t they safe even through public Wi-Fi? Usually, but it-s important to be aware of other factors as well. 39 percent of people report to using just one or a few passwords for all their accounts. So potentially, if you use the same password at an unsecured site that you use at your bank-s secure one, a snoop could access your bank account too. Snoopers also use low-tech methods, simply peeking over your shoulder as you enter a password.
Illustrating the importance of taking backups before leaving on a trip, 67 percent of people value the content on their device more than the device itself. Or by using a content synchronization service such as , which F-Secure provides through operators, consumers can have their device content automatically synced to their personal cloud. Such services remove the need to take along clunky storage devices, and make it easy to safely and privately share photos with friends while on holiday. Data with F-Secure-s consumer content cloud is fully encrypted during transfer and in storage.
A lost or stolen phone puts a damper on a vacation. And with 61 percent of people using their devices for both work and private purposes, there is extra reason to be cautious. A lost phone could impact not just your own data, but also your organizations. for smartphones and tablets lets you remotely lock and locate your device, and if needed, the device data can be completely erased. Another quick suggestion: Make sure your phone-s password-protected screen lock kicks in after just a short amount of time, like one minute.
Don-t let your device connect to public Wi-Fi spots automatically.
Delete out the Wi-Fi access points you-ve used when you arrive home.
Don-t be logged into apps you don-t need while traveling.
Check with the establishment you-re at to make sure the network you log onto is really theirs, and not one a snoop has set up to trick you.
Be aware of your surroundings and anyone who could be trying to peek over your shoulder.
Use a unique password for each account.
For laptops, disable file sharing and turn on the firewall, setting it to block incoming connections.
Use a VPN (virtual private network) if possible, which secures your connection even on public Wi-Fi.
Use a travel router with a prepaid SIM card for your own personal Wi-Fi network.
At the very least, watch for the padlock and “https” in the address bar for any site with your personal information. If they-re not there, avoid the site.
A good general rule: Assume anything you do over public Wi-Fi is part of a public conversation.
*The F-Secure Digital Lifestyle Survey 2013 covered web interviews of 6,000 broadband subscribers aged 20-60 years from 15 countries: Germany, Italy, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Poland, the USA, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Australia and Malaysia. The survey was completed by GfK, April 2013.
While you concentrate on what is important to you, we make sure you are protected and safe online whether you are using a computer or a smartphone. We also backup and enable you to share your important files. Our services are available through over 200 operators around the world and trusted in millions of homes and businesses. Founded in 1988, F-Secure is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.
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For more information, please contact:
Melanie Lombardi
LEWIS PR for F-Secure
+ 1 (415) 432-2400
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