As you prepare to travel, remember that your digital security strategy needs to be as agile as you are. While advice like using strong, unique passwords and employing a VPN on unsecured Wi-Fi are helpful, professional data on the move has grown more complex. Today, we offer key security strategies that go beyond the usual to help you travel with greater digital confidence.
Travel Light with Your Data
Before you even pack your bags, critically evaluate your digital necessities for the trip. Instead of traveling with devices brimming with your entire digital life, determine what’s truly essential. Consider using a dedicated travel laptop or tablet, or even a distinct user profile on your primary device, equipped only with the specific files and applications pertinent to your journey.
Reducing the volume of data you carry inherently lessens your potential risk—think of it as digital light packing. Minimizing your attack surface is a cornerstone of robust cybersecurity.
Protecting Your Most Sensitive Information
For highly confidential information not immediately required for your travel tasks, question whether it needs to be digitally accessible at all. One effective strategy is to store such data on an encrypted USB drive, kept securely and physically separate from your main devices. For crucial summaries or access codes, even a hard copy stored in a secure location, like a hotel safe, can be a prudent choice.
Your smartphone, undoubtedly a constant companion for almost everyone, also requires heightened protection. Even if you’re using a dedicated travel device, your phone carries significant personal data. A Faraday bag—a specialized sleeve that blocks all incoming and outgoing signals—can be invaluable. It’s like the ultimate airplane mode; when your device is inside, it cannot be tracked, hacked, or otherwise remotely accessed. Protecting your smartphone, a pivotal piece of technology for any traveler, is paramount.
The fact is that data that is not connected to a network or is otherwise inaccessible is significantly more difficult to compromise.
Fortify Before You Fly
Long before your departure date, conduct a thorough digital systems audit. This extends beyond merely updating passwords.
- Restrict app permissions – Scrutinize the permissions granted to applications on all your travel devices. Does every app genuinely need access to your location, contacts, or microphone?
- Uninstall non-essential applications – Remove any apps not crucial for your trip to reduce potential vulnerabilities.
- Cleanse and log out – Log out of non-essential accounts on your browsers and clear your cache, cookies, and download history.
Many users inadvertently grant excessive permissions to apps, creating unnecessary points of data exposure. For organizations, implementing Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions can help automate these checks and enforce consistent security policies on devices used by traveling employees.
If you’re looking to secure your organization’s technology and protect your digital assets, wherever they may be used, please call us today at (616) 828-5360.