Avoiding cyber attacks this holiday travel season
The holiday season is right around the corner and an estimated 100 million people1 will be traveling by planes, trains and automobiles. Millions of phones can be lost, devices to hack and gigabytes to be erased during this season as well. Travelers can keep their data and devices safe during the holidays through the use of Matrix Integration.
Matrix Integration is a strategic IT infrastructure company that has been in business for nearly 40 years. They work closely with businesses and institutions to provide personalized consulting and managed services along with networking, data center, security, collaboration and computing solutions.
“When you travel, there’s always the possibility of you leaving your phone somewhere or tapping into an unknown Wi-Fi connection, leaving your data vulnerable to getting lost or stolen,” said Chris Martin, security expert and solutions architect at Matrix Integration.
Matrix Integration’s Top Five Cybersecurity Tips for Holiday Travel
Backup Everything: Before a trip, take the time to backup critical data. It only takes a few minutes, but can save hours or days if a device is lost or damaged.
Patch and Protect: Also before heading out the door, make sure you update your devices with the most recent systems and softwares. Updates provide security patches and with your device being more up to date there is less chance of getting hacked.
Beware of Bluetooth: Bluetooth is a fast and easy way to connect devices but it also provides a direct link for smart cybercriminals to access personal information. When you are in public spaces, disable Bluetooth.
No Paper Passwords: Passwords that are written down can be easily misplaced or easy to physically steal. People should look towards well-known password management software, which encrypt data, allowing for safe storage of passwords and sensitive information.
Be Mindful of Surroundings: Crowded travel areas are often the target locations for traditional and digital criminals alike. Be mindful to not view your private, personal data like bank accounts or type passwords that can be seen by those around you.
Matrix Integration collaborates with clients to identify their most important assets, come up with plans to protect and detect those assets and provide tools to discover and respond to attacks before they cause damage. The types of solutions include robust identity managements systems so passwords are harder to steal, data encryption software and staff training.
If you would like more insight into cybersecurity and/or more information you can visit the Matrix Integration at www.matrixintegration.com. You can also keep up to date by following them on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
1 Approximately 100 million people traveled between Dec. 12 and Jan 1 in 2017 according to CNN.