August Newsletter

August Newsletter

Once again, we have reached August with its flurry of last-minute vacations before the busyness of school activities and business responsibilities.?But as we end this season of summer dreamin’ one thing we can’t relax on even while on vacation, is our cybersecurity hygiene.

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It’s easy to forget to maintain our security protocols in the hustle and bustle of travel, but we hope this list of travel tips will help you stay safe.

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1. Update your device's operating system - before going, make sure you have installed the latest available updates as these often contain security patches for risks that may have emerged after the initial release.

2. Back up your device, either onto cloud storage like iCloud or Google Drive or onto a physical device such as your computer or external hard drive.

3. Don’t forget to lock those devices when you walk away.?Before you leave, get into the habit of closing your phone back to the lock screen before you set it down.?And for the love of everything please do not use simple passwords or codes such as 1234 or passcode, your cyber expert will appreciate it.

4. Just say no to auto-connect, for both wireless internet connections and Bluetooth.?While both of these options are very convenient for streamlining the connection between all of your smart devices, they have the habit of scanning the area for an available network and transferring that data back to your phone.?By disabling the auto-connect feature, you can have more control over what networks you connect to and when.??

5. Also, be careful about public Wi-Fi and what networks you elect to connect to.?If you decide to connect anyway, do not do any sensitive work over that connection, such as online shopping or banking, or sensitive work.

6. And last, but not least, DO NOT CLICK on that link without first verifying the sender or that the application you plan to install is actually what you think it is especially if any of them were sent unsolicited and from an unknown sender.?

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3 Biggest Security Threats when Traveling

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California State University statistics report that 12,000 laptops or mobile devices are stolen per year at US airports, with 40% of those thefts occurring at security checkpoints.?Other statistics from Asurion estimate that 18 million devices could be lost, stolen, damaged, or otherwise rendered unusable during peak travel seasons.?Aside from accidental damage, the most common risks to mobile devices and your cybersecurity while traveling are:

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Public computers - while these devices may appear to be thoroughly up to date on their virus protection and security protocols, many of these may also be infected with software known as keyloggers.?Keyloggers “log” every keystroke and send them to cybercriminals.?Information known to have been stolen in this way is birthdays, social security numbers, credit card numbers, names, and passwords.?

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Unsecured Wireless Networks - despite being incredibly convenient, these are also extremely dangerous as you do not know who else is on the network with you, and make it easier for cyber attackers to access your mobile device.?This is why we urge you to think and assess any given publicly accessible network before connecting - and if you do decide to connect, don’t do any sensitive transactions.

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Stolen Device - It can happen in a blink.?You set your device down on the seat next to you and your attention gets diverted and once you look back your device is gone.?Because of this, you need to make sure your device is adequately secured so no one other than you can access the information on this.?FaceID, TouchID, and 6-digit or longer passcodes are crucial.?Another thing you can do in the event a device is stolen is to make sure you have “Find my device” turned on.?This will depend on the operating system of the device but all devices should have some form of this feature built in.??This will allow you to remotely lock the device down and effectively turn it into a decorative brick for whoever stole the device.?You may not get the device back, but you can rest assured the thief cannot get anything more out of you.

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Don’t let some summer fun become a summer bummer

As summer fades into fall, we hope you find these tips helpful so your last trip of the summer break doesn’t become a summer bummer of trying to recover stolen data.?

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?Letter from the Founder

“When the mind is allowed to relax, inspiration often follows.” ~Phil Jackson

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There are many good things to say about vacations. ?Unless we are talking about Home Alone and leaving a small child and not noticing until you land an entire ocean away.?At Christmas no less.?But vacations are vital - all work and no play does not work well for anyone.?

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Hopefully, you have some fun plans lined up for these last few weeks of summer and stay safe!?

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~Carl de Prado

~Founder

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