Thursday, February 27, 2020

Spring Break is right around the corner. Whether you’re headed home, traveling out of state or staying in Athens, here are some tips for keeping your information secure while you enjoy your vacation. 

Be smart about using unsecure Wi-Fi 

One of the great benefits of the internet era is free Wi-Fi available in many coffee shops, restaurants, movie theatres and even post offices. Most often this Wi-Fi is free to access because it doesn’t have a password. This means that anyone can join the network and use it maliciously, with the proprietor being none the wiser. The best way to protect yourself and your data? Don’t conduct any financial transactions on unsecure Wi-Fi. This keeps your information off the public network and out of hackers’ hands.  

Lock your phone’s hotspot with a password 

Some cellphone service providers offer hotspot services with your data plan. This means you can turn your cellphone data into Wi-Fi for your laptop, tablet and other devices. If left unsecured, your hotspot can be used as an access point into your cellular data and ultimately any connected device. Lock your phone’s hotspot with a password to protect it. 

Don’t share any of your passwords 

Everyone knows that the best way to secure your electronic devices is to make sure to use a password that is secure. But even the cleverest of passwords is useless if everyone knows it. That’s why it is important not to share your password with others (not even your parents). The person whom with you share your password may have good intentions, but you never know who else might be listening in on your conversation. 

Be cautious when using free charging stations 

It has become a common practice to find charging towers in mall food courts, restaurants, benches and department stores. While these are convenient services, you should be careful because public stations are vulnerable to hacking. Hackers can booby-trap an outlet to steal your data while you charge. As an alternative, carry a power bank or an outlet adapter of your own and use that whenever you see your battery getting low. 

Be careful with phone wallets 

A popular accessory for the everyday smartphone user is the phone wallet. Just pop it on to the back of the phone case and you instantly have a convenient pocket for your school ID, driver’s license and bank cards. While it is perfectly fine to use a phone wallet, you should be aware that certain wallets are better at protecting your bank cards than others. Consider buying an RFID secure wallet. Wallets that have RFID protection are better at protecting your information, especially if your cards feature a chip instead of a stripe.  

Report a stolen smartphone and wallet immediately 

If you happen misplace your smartphone or wallet be sure to report it to the authorities right away. Besides being the safest way to go about getting your stuff back, obtaining a police report is also a required step in any identity fraud arbitration. Once you notice that your wallet is gone, be sure to contact your financial institution and report your cards stolen – that way they will flag any activity on the card and you won’t be held liable for unknown transactions. 

Use the FCC Smartphone Security Checker 

With the rise of mobile hacking most mobile platform providers offer regular security updates to protect their users from hacking and data loss. If you are wondering how secure your smartphone or mobile device is there is an easy-to-use tool made available by the Federal Communications Commission. You can use the FCC Smartphone Security Checker to find customized steps to secure your mobile device. Visit fcc.gov/smartphone-security for more information.