Summertime – make sure you have your protection for your skin and your laptop

By dominic_cook | July 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment

summer beach With summer in full swing, travel plans are on the horizon for many of us!

As much as sunscreen and books are travel necessities, so are laptops and Smartphones – and to get online, people are increasingly taking advantage of wireless (Wi-Fi) networks - at airports, hotels, even while in the air, as more and more planes offer passengers Wi-Fi connections in-flight.

While offering convenience and flexibility, Wi-Fi networks are also easy entry points for crooks looking to steal your money, account information and identity.

Your perfect vacation could be ruined in an instant by cyber-criminals looking to rob you of your personal information. Imagine stepping off the plane, ready to start your vacation, only to realize that between “here” and “there” your bank account has been wiped out and your credit card information stolen.

So here are five easy tips to ensure your vacation doesn’t end in disaster.

1. Pay attention to your surroundings – Remember, if you can read his magazine, the guy sitting next to you on the plane can also read your laptop screen! Just because you’re on vacation, doesn’t mean you’re not still in public

2. Beware of “Evil Twins” – Some Wi-Fi networks can appear to be legitimate, but are NOT. Criminals can create “dummy” networks or Web sites that contain the name of the airline, hotel or airport, but actually will direct your information to their own computer. If you always use the access keys provided by the airline, hotel, or airport, you’ll be protected

3. Always assume your Wi-Fi connections are being eavesdropped on – Never enter sensitive data (bank account information, social security numbers, etc.) when browsing the Web via a Wi-Fi network

4. Set any Bluetooth devices to “hidden”, not “discoverable” – If you do not use the Bluetooth function, turn it off altogether

5. Keep your security software current and active – Remember, mobile PCs are vulnerable to the same viruses, Trojans, and worms as your home computer so make sure your security software protects you on wireless networks, like Norton Internet Security does.

Dominic Cook

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