«While traditional threats when travelling, such as pickpocketing, still exist, cyber crime presents a new type of threat that needs to be taken into account. Protecting your devices and presence online is just as important as protecting your wallet or skin from the sun,» explains Laura Kankaala, who’s a cyber specialist at F-Secure. «However, there are simple methods and suitable apps for travellers to use to protect themselves from these threats,» she adds.
That's why we're going on a journey into the realm of cyber threats with Laura and we’ll show you how you can enjoy a safe, carefree summer.
Laura Kankaala is a security expert, podcaster and TV-documentary maker in Team Whack. She specialises in dealing with the latest cyber-crime scams, hacks, malware and fraud and in the current threats faced by Internet users. Her background is in offensive security – ethical hacking – and she’s now Head of Threat Intelligence at F-Secure. She’s also known for her appearances in the Finnish hacker-TV documentary Team Whack and for her podcast Turvakäräjät. Additionally, she produces and appears in short educational cybersecurity videos broadcast on social media in collaboration with YLE.
Search results and email attachments: Do you need to search online to find a great local restaurant or plan which sights to visit the next day? Criminals like to hide their phishing links and traps in the search results for websites or in emails. You should therefore be careful when you open a website or download attachments. This is where security apps can really help you avoid these phishing traps.
QR codes: The use of QR codes has increased significantly in recent years. «Many restaurants and other service providers often only provide their menus, prices and other important information via QR codes. QR codes can also be associated with discounts, promotions and exclusive offers. However, scanning unknown QR codes can redirect you to phishing websites or prompt you to download malware onto your device,» warns Kankaala.
Currently, 46% of QR codes lead to a website and 31% to a file. So Laura recommends: «To protect yourself from potential threats, you should be vigilant and use a security app that automatically blocks malicious websites and files. This will allow you to scan the QR codes and make it easy to avoid the harmful ones.»
Real and fake apps: You may need to download an app while you’re on holiday. Many hotels, museums, attractions, public transport, etc. use apps to provide the information you need or to enable you to use some form of transport. «While these apps themselves don’t pose a threat, criminals like to create fake apps that look deceptively similar to the official apps,» warns Laura. Mobile antivirus protection protects you from these kind of fraudulent apps.
Passwords: «Strong passwords act like a digital fortress,» explains Laura. Online accounts need a strong defence against cyber threats. Passwords are the first line of defence when it comes to protecting your online assets, which is why Laura says that passwords need to be strong and unique. As you’re exposed to additional security risks when you’re travelling, it’s even more important to take passwords seriously. Since it's not that easy to remember a lot of unique passwords, this is where a password manager comes in handy. These tools generate complex passwords and store them securely, so you can access your accounts quickly without ever forgetting a password. «The best thing about this,» laughs Laura, «is that you can sync your passwords between your devices so you’ve always got them with you wherever you go.»
Loss of device: You fall asleep on your deck chair and wake up to find that your tablet has gone. That’s why it’s a good idea to activate device encryption and biometric authentication beforehand to prevent any unauthorised persons from accessing your device. This doesn’t just apply to assets (bank accounts, digital payment options, etc.), but also to memories in the form of photos that can get lost.
Laura advises creating backup copies of photos and files before you go on holiday, either on cloud storage services or on an external hard drive at home. While you’re away, she recommends creating regular backups to preserve your most recent memories.
Break-in at home: It’s easy to forget that when you post on Facebook and other platforms, it’s not just your friends and family following your updates, but potential burglars might also spot that you’re not at home. «Be sure to adjust your account settings and apply the right privacy setting to your posts,» advises our expert.
Protection and monitoring of children: With the right apps, parents can set their children’s screen time and filter out any harmful content. «This not only protects the child and their devices, but it can also transform the holidays into a real family experience as parents encourage their children to engage in real-world activities, thus strengthening the family bond,» says Laura. She adds, «Parental-control apps also offer online safety, protecting children from the threats mentioned above.»
Public Wi-Fi: Not all public Wi-Fi is secure. Cyber criminals know this and take advantage of it. The best protection here is a VPN, a virtual private network. Anyone who doesn’t have this protection can still significantly reduce the risks, although without complete protection:
An antivirus program will help if an insecure Wi-Fi network tries to deliver malware to your device and will block it.
Browsing protection prevents access to known malicious websites, reducing the risk of phishing or online fraud.
Banking protection is activated when you access an online-banking website and blocks connections to suspicious third-party websites, reducing the risk of «banking session hijacking». However, the data traffic is not encrypted.
Holidays with the app – the best travel companion
Travel always entails security risks that you may not have thought about before. To strengthen your digital defences, we recommend installing an appropriate security app. We hope you have an unforgettable trip – be happy and take the time to relax, whether you're offline or online.
