During your vacation

Enjoy your deserved vacation, but do not forget about the basic guidelines and protect yourself from a lot of inconvenience and annoyance while on holiday.

Find, lock, or erase your lost or stolen device

If your device has been lost or stolen, use the ‘Find my device’ functionality and try to locate your device. You can remotely erase data on your device if it is turned on and connected to the network. It is crucial to do a remote wipe very quickly before your data become compromised on your device.

Keep track of your devices

Keep your devices close at hand or in a secured place when not in use. Enable ‘Find My Device’ on Android and ‘Find My’ functionality on your iPhone or iPad.

Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when idle

When you turn on the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, they connect to a network and track your whereabouts. If you do not need them, switch them off.

Check which wireless network you connected to and turn off automatic login to Wi-Fi networks

Always verify which network you are supposed to use and the credentials for login. Make sure your device asks your permission before connecting to a Wi-Fi network, so you can check which network you want to log in to. Be careful about insecure Wi-Fi hotspots and do not transmit personal info or make purchases on unsafe networks. Consider using a VPN if you need a more secure connection.

Avoid using USB plugs in public spaces

Be extremely cautious in public places like internet cafes, airports and hotels. Do not connect to applications where you need to log in with personal credentials. Do not plug in any USB sticks or other storage media in public computers, and avoid using your USB plugs even for charging. If the computer is infected, your USB will be as well. Use a shared computer in such areas only when absolutely necessary.

Actively manage location services and own your online presence

Think twice before posting pictures that would reveal you are not home. It is never a good idea to post images of yourself while on vacation. Malignant people might find your postal address by checking your social media sites (or from other sources) and break into your home while you are on vacation. Set your social media accounts to only allow you close circle to view your posts and content.

Don’t download applications you don’t know about

On holidays we are often susceptible to downloading mobile applications to make our stay easier and improve our experience in the places we visit (hotels, museums, public transport, etc.). The first step is to avoid installing them if it is not necessary and if not, make sure you always download them from official shops such as the App Store and Google Play.