Planning for a Holiday? Here’s some Online Security Tips

A recent consumer poll conducted by Norton showed that 75 percent of Malaysians do not have a security solution on their mobile devices to protect their personal data. What is more worrying is that 52 percent of those polled admitted to visiting travel websites and paying for travel-related items without concern for the site’s security.

The poll also revealed that 60 percent of Malaysians connect to free Wi-Fi when they are abroad.  Free Wi-Fi services are shared and unsecured which means that Malaysian travelers are putting their online security and personal information at risk.

Cyber security is not something to be taken lightly, especially when you’re going on a holiday or traveling. Whilst happily posting photos, videos and comments about their travels, many Malaysians tend to forget about the dangers of openly exposing their travel activities on social networks.

To help make sure your travel memories are secure and happy ones, Norton has some tips for travelers to put to good use even before they head off on their next big adventure.

Secure your home devices- ensure that all your home devices are locked and switched off before leaving. Make sure all your home devices, including desktop PCs, laptops and tablets are password protected. If your house is broken into while you’re away, at least you will know that all your personal information is password protected.

Privatise your social life – make sure all your social networking sites have the highest privacy settings while you are travelling, to help avoid any unwanted parties catching wind of the fact that your house is empty or your office is vacant.

Free Wi-Fi isn’t always good Wi-Fi – pay extra attention when connecting any device to a public Wi-Fi, because there are ways for others to access your accounts through shared and unsecured Wi-Fi.

Store your memories in the cloud – don’t forget to continually upload your precious photos to your storage in the cloud because if your camera/smartphone is lost or stolen, so too are your holiday memories.

Sign out before you walk out – remember to log out of everything before exiting an internet café or hotel computer. Extra care is needed with shared computers.

Change the locks – change the passwords for any sites or services that you used while you were travelling. Choose strong new passwords to help keep your accounts safe.

We recommends that users install an antivirus/Internet security programs such as the ones offered by Norton. Apart from rMobile Security for your iPhone/iPad/Android device, there are also many other mobile security solutions out there, including the free ones. These programs helps keep you safe online.

With a little bit of caution and up-to-date security solutions, travelers can relax knowing they have protected themselves from cybercrime and have the carefree travelling experience they deserve.