How many international travelers are practicing unsafe internet behaviors?

When traveling abroad, a little bit of effort can go a long way toward keeping your devices and data safe. Travel and cybersecurity experts recommend people follow a few simple steps and best practices while in another country. But how many people actually follow that advice?

There are three tips that more than half of international travelers follow most or every time they go abroad. Around half (52%) of people alert their financial institutions of travel plans and turn on “Find my device” features for smart devices they travel with, and 51% make sure that their devices are fully updated before taking off. 

However, some expert advice is largely ignored. For example, less than one-third of international travelers use a VPN when they access the internet while traveling, and just 29% take the time to research internet privacy laws in the country they will be traveling to. 

But what do experts say is different about traveling abroad? John Hering, Senior Government Affairs Manager, Cybersecurity Policy and Protection at Microsoft, offered his thoughts on what travelers need to know about before leaving the house. 

According to Hering, the real risk is in the information you don’t have about security in a new country. 

“Anytime you are traveling somewhere new, you should accept that you have less information about the relative security of the ICT environment and practice good cyber hygiene,” he said. “This means ensuring software is up to date with any necessary patches before traveling, enabling multifactor authentication on all your accounts, and utilizing things like anti-malware and VPN services. Travelers should also be deliberate about which connected devices they choose to take with them on a trip to limit risk — this includes things like laptops and phones, but also other network-connected consumer products like tablets, smart watches, and even handheld gaming systems.”

More tips for international travelers

International travel presents unique risks, but there are plenty of ways to stay safe abroad. Some more tips for doing just that include: 

• Decide which VPN is right for you. Subscribe to one of the best VPNs for travel as a way to protect your data while on public Wi-Fi networks without compromising your connection speeds.
• Change your passwords when you’re back. Identity thieves don’t always strike immediately. Changing your passwords once you’re at home can prevent any compromised accounts and make any password theft moot. Use a secure password manager to make it an easy transition and keep all your accounts safe. 
• Understand the risks of juice jacking. Read up on the ways you can prevent yourself from juice jacking and learn what to do if you suspect that you’re a victim.

This story was produced by All About Cookies and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.