“Vacations are the time when employees remember that business can go on without them.” Earl Joseph Wilson
However, in the face of the phenomenon of hyper-connectivity and remote work, there are no longer any places or times that allow you to disconnect from your work, application use, and Internet browsing habits! Smartphones, tablets and laptops have become accessories that few people forget to carry in their luggage when it’s time to go on vacation and then hit the beaches. Digital detox is almost non-existent when more than 70% of French people check their mailboxes every 5 minutes!
Relax period, vacations also lead to mistakes and omissions that can lead to a tsunami of cyber risks. Thus, according to a study on cybersecurity by Euler Hermes and the DFCG, “ 30% of companies saw an increase in attacks during holidays, weekends and public holidays. To protect yourself, you must be careful. You must be aware of your personal safety and the material being handled. Hackers don’t take vacations and all scams are exploitable. Here are some ideas for reducing your risk.
” If you ignore yourself and your enemy, you will only count your battles with your defeats. Sun Tzu on The Art of War
Avoiding posting vacation dates and locations on social media is a rule of thumb that many forget. A simple letter away from work can also provide a lot of information about the time available to carry out an attack or robbery. While on watch, the pirates prowl and must control any outward sign of relaxation.
Before leaving, you should check that your password is sufficiently secured, that no one knows it and that your computer is locked! During holidays, you should avoid connecting to unprotected public Wi-Fi networks without using a VPN (in hotels, stations, cafes or airports for example). Not logging into public computers is critical because malware can log keystrokes and steal credentials. Avoiding sharing files on free and insecure sites is a common sense measure. In any case, it is forbidden to download gadgets or tools in a “fashionable and season-adapted way”, using a USB key for advertising or clicking on links received by WhatsApp or SMS.
” Forgetting about cyber security means riding a motorcycle at 200 km/h without a helmet » Guillaume Poupard, Head of the French Electronic Defense Agency (Anssi)
While many commercial or booking websites are not secure enough, a credit card should be protected like a treasure. You should never disclose your phone banking numbers or details, or register your card on a site at the risk of being charged unnecessary fees. After any purchase abroad, careful monitoring of its accounts must be carried out. In the event of a cyberattack on your devices, you must contact IT support and never give in to pressure from interlocutors whose only goal is to steal as much money as possible. Many of the messages about Windows Update issues are fake scams and scams that are ubiquitous on the web. An unusual request should arouse suspicion.
” All the success of the operation lies in the preparation for it. Sun Tzu on The Art of War
Before going abroad, it is necessary to check your mobile phone subscription in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. Is the packaging appropriate? Does he avoid overcharging for data that can quickly become prohibitive, especially when his company won’t accept personal use of a professional phone? WhatsApp message or image exchange sizes are a source of exponential packet overrun! If in doubt, it is better to disable automatic synchronization and access to data from the outside, or even completely turn off the device. Outside Europe, where the Personal Data Regulation does not apply, it is necessary to know what regulations are in force and what data can or cannot be exchanged or downloaded. Companies can also block access to their network from certain countries and thus prevent messages from being accessed. In a wise way, it is best to avoid leaving confidential data and giving away your devices even for a few minutes.
If precautions are not taken to eliminate any risk of hacking, it allows you to be more calm and have a good holiday. Knowing how to act avoids panic in the face of the unexpected and allows you to get out of the most difficult situations. In the event of an attack, you should notify your support service and get help from specialists to manage the crisis. Before you start using your devices again, you need to make sure that the situation has been cleaned up and that your backups have not been compromised either.
