Agape Blog

Travelers are especially vulnerable to hackers because they often use computers and Wi-Fi networks in hotel lobbies, cafes and airports.

Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself:

Create a strong password. As e-mail is easier to hack with weak password.

Another solution is to create a dedicated e-mail account for use on the road, with a password that is different from passwords you use for bank and credit card information. Let your contacts know you’ll be using that account while on vacation. You can stay in touch, but if someone does hack into your account, they only get your vacation pictures.

If using a shared computer, try to cover your tracks. On Microsoft’s Explorer, when you log off, go to “Tools” and “Delete Browsing History” to remove traces of your passwords and the Web sites you’ve visited.

Sniffing a wireless network is really easy to do — any teen in junior high can do it. Such vulnerabilities can yield mayhem with attacks known as “Packet Sniffing,” ”Man in the Middle” attacks and “MAC Spoofing.”

Also when you are using your laptop in a public place, you obviously want up-to-date security programs.

You should also disable file-sharing on your laptop, and also a good idea to turn off Bluetooth, printer-sharing and disable ad hoc network connections.

You should not send any sensitive data while in travelling. That’s because many e-mail services and browser connections essentially broadcast in the clear, meaning someone can eavesdrop on information sent to and from your computer. If you want to be careful, that means avoiding banking, shopping and checking credit card accounts. Even though these sites usually encrypt your data, there are some workarounds a determined hacker could use.

If you want to take your computer security a step up, consider a VPN, or Virtual Private Network i.e. it’s a tunnel, where all your communication is encrypted. A passive attacker can’t intercept.

Anup Srivastava
Executive: Fraud Management Services
Agape Inc