In almost every family, there is a little security routine that people do before they leave their property. In many cases, it involves checking out if all the windows are closed and if the lights and the oven are not on. Even if you have a security system setup, you want to make sure your windows are closed in case there is rain; no one enjoys seeing ruined carpets due to windows left open. All these procedures are done because you want your home to be in tact when you are back. In this digital age that we live in, there are a few more steps that should be added to the usual routine. We wanted to share a list of top 5 tech things you should do before you leave.
Don’t brag about your plans on social media
It may be tempting to tell everyone that you are going on your dreamed vacation and that you are about to have lots of fun but this could sometimes be dangerous. The more you share on social media, the more people, including burglars, will know about your plans. You may have already setup all your privacy settings so only selected people know where you are, but thieves are getting more and more inventive and they are known to check social media feeds and look for clues. Feel free to private message your loved ones, but there is no need to announce that you are about to leave home publically.
Backup your content before you leave
Another thing you should do before you leave your house is to backup all your content unless you are OK with losing it. If you have not saved your phone images on your PC for quite some time, now it is the right time to do so. The more you wait, the higher the risk is. Sometimes vacations do not go as smooth as we want, and if your content is not safely stored on your home PC or the cloud, you may end up not only losing or breaking up your cell phone, but all the contacts, voicemails, videos and pictures that are on it.
Remember not to tag yourself from your hotel or restaurant
There have been reports of people receiving calls from individuals pretending to be employees at the hotel or a restaurant they’ve visited. They claim you are owed a refund, and they want your card details to return the money. The moment you give them your information, they debit your card, and you end up losing a lot. Never share your card details with people over the phone, and if they insist, hang up, find the venue number online, and call them yourself to verify. This is how you will be sure that you are not being scammed.
Keep in mind the dangers of using public Wi-Fi networks
Be prepared and install antivirus software on all your devices before you leave home. Joining open Wi-Fi networks is not safe. Think of your internet traffic as items placed on a conveyor – everyone who has the know-how can see and record the things passing on the line – such “items” could include credit card numbers, banking passwords, or personal identity information such as your home address and SSN. So if you have to use open Wi-Fi networks, avoid doing online purchases and banking, and always make sure you have antivirus software installed on your device. Wi-Fi networks are not always as secure as we want them to be.
Update your OS
The last step before you leave home is to make sure the operation systems of all your devices are up-to-date. Latest updates are there to fix things; sometimes such things include security gaps that have just become known to your device or OS. Sometimes performing updates could use a lot of data, so we advise you to do them before you leave home, you will be protected while on the road, and you will not have to use your highly priced cellular data for something that you could have easily done home.
Congratulations, now you are safe to leave for your trip! Keeping yourself and your loved ones safe while traveling is not hard at all. All you have to do is to make sure you follow the steps above, and all your devices are backed up in case things decide to go horribly wrong. There are multiple options out there that can help you achieve such results, but Panda Security’s Panda Protection Complete has everything you need in under one roof – you can backup you content before you go and safely browse while you are away, knowing the exact location of all your devices at any given time. Even if things go bad and you end up damaging your devices, at least you will have all your information stored safely on the cloud.
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