1. Set up automatic locking

Never leave your phone or laptop unlocked in a public place, such as a restaurant (café, bar) on a table.
Set your phone to automatically lock after a short enough time. 1 minute should be enough to keep it from taking too long, and on the other hand, it shouldn’t reduce your comfort of use too much.
Learn to lock your laptop every time you walk away from it. Maybe just when you get up from your desk in a café to get sugar. In Windows (and most Linux distributions), you can use the Win + L keyboard shortcut to do this. On a MacBook, the Command+Control+Q key combination should work the same way.

2. A good password or PIN is essential

Use a long enough and unique password or PIN to unlock your phone or laptop. Avoid “stale” passwords such as “password” or “iloveyou”. Similarly, a PIN of “0000” or “1234” is not a good idea.
Unlocking your phone using a gesture (connecting dots on the screen) can be risky, as your fingers will leave a mark on the screen.

Tip: Use passwords in Czech (Slovak).

3. Em key in the keyboard (see below).
   

   Watch out for public Wi-Fi networks

You know, you arrive in a non-EU country and need to read an email, post a photo on Instagram or find accommodation. And you don’t feel like paying for data roaming. So right at the airport, you find the nearest public (and free) Wi-Fi network and connect.
And you know what? Hackers know that people do this at airports. And it’s no problem for them to run such a Wi-Fi network called, for example, “Airport Free Internet” from their device. And then just wait to see who connects and start mining the data.
The same goes for restaurants or cafes. That’s why it’s better to pay extra for roaming. And if that’s really not possible for whatever reason, at least use a VPN. This will encrypt your data so that an attacker can’t read it.

4. Don’t tell the world your apartment or house is empty

The urge to boast to your friends that you’re enjoying your vacation is hard to resist, but try to hold on. A photo from Bibione or Mt. Blanc can be a great tip-off to a burglar, who will know that he won’t be disturbed during a break-in.
You can also upload photos to Instagram or Facebook when you return. Plus, you’re likely to enjoy your vacation a lot more without social media.

Tip: Be offline, it’s fine

5. Probably with photos of the kids

Photos of your kids from the beach that you share on social media may appear on sites where paedophiles congregate, it’s a big draw for them. If you want to share these photos with family or friends, send them via email or better still some messenger (ideally via Signal Messenger).

6. Turn off disk encryption

If you lose your laptop while on vacation, it’s definitely better if the data on the drive isn’t readable by someone who could misuse it.
On Windows, BitLocker does this, on Apple devices FileVault does it, and on Linux, LUKS does it. Alternatively, you can use the open source software VeraCrypt.

7. Letter controls and erotica

In some countries, customs officials may ask you for passwords to your devices or social media accounts. If you’re travelling to such a country, be wary of what you have stored on your device. There are countries where, for example, stored erotic content can get you into trouble.
Many people use a different (“clean”) laptop and phone when travelling to these countries.

8. Backup before your holiday

If you lose your device while on holiday, a backup of your files or contacts will definitely come in handy. Don’t underestimate it.

In the event that your phone or laptop is indeed lost or stolen, here are some tips on what to do to minimize the damage.

The post 8 tips for a digitally safer holiday appeared first on DIGITAL SELF-DEFENSE.

This increases the risk of losing or stealing these devices. And because the person who has just found out that he has lost his device often panicking (it’s a very stressful situation) and in the first moments is unable to calmly realize what needs to be done, it is good to have these steps ready.

Here is the checklist of steps that should follow after losing or stealing your phone or laptop. You can download it here (pdf), print it and check steps out.

1. Find location
   • Android: android.com/find
   • iPhone: icloud.com/find
2. Try to send sms to your phone
   • If messages appear on the display, you can give a message to a potential finder
   • iPhone: Lost Mode
3. Contact IT
   • It is necessary to block access to internal systems of the company or organization for accounts
4. Remote backup
   • If your phone has a remote backup application, back up now.
5. Lock and wipe
   • Android: At android.com/find activate lock and erase features
   • iPhone: At icloud.com/find select your device and wipe it.
6. Sign out of accounts
   • From another device, log in to your accounts where you are signed in lost device and log off those accounts on the lost device
     • Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Alza etc.
     • Ask others to temporarily remove you from conversation groups (e.g., Signal, Telegram, Threema, Whatsapp, Slack, etc.) where sensitive information may occur (yours or others).
7. Change passwords on accounts that were logged on a lost device
8. Send your cryptocurrencies to the new address
   • If you have a wallet backup, restore it, create a new one, and forward there your cryptocurrencies
9. Contact your phone operator to lock SIM card
10. Block payment cards stored in device applications
    • Your credit cards may be stored in some apps or websites
11. Notify friends and/or customers
    • Your accounts may be misused for phishing attacks, tell your friends about this possibility

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