July and August are typically known as the “summer vacation months” and unfortunately these months also see an increase in cyberattacks. Reduced staffing and oversight and increased usage of personal devices contribute to cyberattack success. Below are some tips so you can relax and enjoy your vacation!
Work Considerations
Phishing – Early Summer is a great time to create a phishing campaign to heighten staff awareness.
Monitoring – If you are in charge of network monitoring, update your backup staff so network monitoring is continued without relying on alerts only. Nothing replaces the experience and knowledge of staff that know the network baseline and history.
Authorized Access – Review your groups and policies for staff that have transitioned to ensure this is current.
Incident Response Plan – Review your plan and determine who your backup is and have a refresher meeting with them.
Laptop – remember to securely store your work device before leaving.
Personal Considerations
Mobile Devices – Use a mobile data plan or a VPN. Avoid clicking on email confirmation links from hotels, airlines, etc. Use the official apps to confirm any changes, updates, etc.
Connectivity – Public charging stations can compromise your devices along with Bluetooth to headphones for infotainment systems in rental vehicles. Toggle WiFi and Bluetooth to “Off”. Invest in a portable power bank.
- Run updates on all your mobile devices before setting foot outside your door.
- Enable “Find my Phone”.
- Turn off location services when not in use.
- Enable 2FA or MFA on accounts.
Theft – With everything from boarding passes, event tickets, reservations, etc. saved on your phone, the theft of your phone can put a damper on your vacation. To physical secure your phone, invest in a cross-body purse with anti-theft features, cell phone lanyard, or store in a zipped pocket.
- Use Screen Lock
- Backup your information
- Print copies of travel documents and store in hotel safe
Social Media – save the pictures and information about your vacation until you get home.
Summer is a time of relaxation for many, but cybersecurity never takes a vacation. Please prepare appropriately.
Security Guidelines for Summer Chilling