Are you going on a trip this summer? Some tips to protect your identity and your money

Pirates don’t take vacations. It is important to continue to seriously protect your personal data, your identity and your money when you go on a trip, otherwise you may have to deal with considerable problems afterwards.

It’s finally the summer vacation period, but we must remain vigilant: cybercriminals are taking advantage of the relaxation of attention Internet users on their leave to attack and have weapons that may well spoil your trip. In order to leave with complete peace of mind and make the most of your holidays, we provide you with some useful advice. By following these recommendations, you are creating a more secure environment for your digital assets, your identity, and your money.

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Get ready before going on vacation

Anticipation and preparation will save you a lot of problems. Choose in advance which electronic devices you will take with you on your vacation and check that each of them is password protected. Also, make sure they are updated and have the latest security patches available. You can also install a security solution on your terminals that acts locally to protect you against malicious attacks and phishing.

It should also be back up all your data and photos before leaving, in case of loss or theft of your device. You can do this with a cloud storage service or a physical storage product, such as a USB key or an external hard drive.

Also remember that smartphones, whether on Android or iOS, have functions for find your device or for remotely erase data. Set them up and take a look before you leave to prevent your information and mobile payment methods from falling into the wrong hands.

Also be sure to disable bluetooth connectivity And avoid connecting to public WiFi networks to prevent hackers from gaining access to your device or information, especially to carry out financial transactions or to work. We can only suggest the use of a VPN to encrypt your traffic and prevent it from being intercepted by a third party.

Good practices to adopt

The last thing you want while on vacation is having to deal with one of your online accounts being hacked. It’s time to do what you should have done a long time ago: check that all your accounts, especially the most critical ones, are well protected with strong passwords. To simplify the process, you can use a password manager. When possible, do not hesitate to activate double authentication, an additional layer of security that greatly complicates the work of cybercriminals.

It’s tempting to share all your adventures on social media, but your posts, no matter how innocent, can be dangerous. If your profiles are monitored, malicious people can take advantage of knowing that you are going on a trip to organize the burglary of your home. They can also get in touch with your contacts, friends and family, to defraud them. By pretending to be you, they can ask your relatives for money, claiming an emergency or a problem with the bank, for example. Prefer to send your photos in private messages, or at least set your account to private if you use Instagram and such.

Don’t leave your devices unattended: Even when you’re busy basking at the beach or pool, you need to keep a close eye on your precious gear. Keep your terminals with you, or put them in a safe place, such as a hotel safe. If you will be working on a laptop during your stay, consider employing a privacy shieldwhich prevents anyone not directly in front of the screen from seeing anything.

Finally, monitor your accounts for breaches and data leaks using identity protection services. You will thus be alerted when your identifiers or personal data are compromised, which will allow you to act immediately to protect your information and limit the damage. And precisely, we know an effective tool to help you on this subject.

Bitdefender Premium Security Plus: protect your identity and your money

Bitdefender offers its complete software suite Premium Security Plus, effective protection for all your devices on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It includes the detection of malware, spyware and adware and works against all types of threats online: viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware, zero-day exploits, rootkits… Unlike other security suites, Bitdefender Premium Security Plus does not drag down performance or slow down your devices.

You also get three advanced tools to help protect your identity and money from online threats:

• Bitdefender Premium VPN : Keep your online activities confidential and encrypt your traffic: your data cannot be intercepted, and even your internet service provider cannot know which sites you visit. Bitdefender respects your privacy by not keeping your browsing logs. More than 4,000 servers spread over fifty countries are available to users.
• Bitdefender Password Manager : Manage the usernames and passwords of your online accounts more easily with Bitdefender’s password manager. Create strong passwords, automatically synchronized with your other devices to combine both security and convenience. This solution makes it possible to avoid writing down passwords in an unsecured space, having to memorize them, or having to reuse the same ones, which would be very dangerous.
• Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection : This feature monitors your data in real time across the entire net, including the dark web, to alert you as soon as your information has been exposed. When they do, you are notified immediately and can act before malicious people are able to exploit them. A dashboard also lists your digital footprint, that is to say all the traces you have left on the internet.

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Bitdefender Premium Security Plus is currently under an interesting promotion: the whole suite including antivirus, VPN, password manager and digital identity protection is offered at only 69.98 euros for one yeari.e. less than 6 euros per month.

This article is a publication sponsored by Bitdefender.