The Paranoid's Guide to Protecting Your Identity While Traveling

. or other cloud service and assume they are safe because the company says so. If you wish to get Dropbox for quick sharing of files/folders with friends, visit this link. https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTE1MTA4NjU5?src=global9 Use free open source encryption software like TrueCrypt to secure your important data. TrueCrypt can be found at the link below. http://www.truecrypt.org/ Do not go through the trouble of encrypting the document and then forget to attach a strong password. 6. Skip the Conveniences of Mobile Transactions Sandboxing and HTTPS go a long way toward making financial apps secure. (Special note from Dan: a sandbox is a security mechanism for separating running programs. It is often used to execute untested code, or untrusted programs from unverified third-parties, suppliers, untrusted users and untrusted websites. The sandbox typically provides a tightly controlled set of resources for guest programs to run in, such as scratch space on disk and memory. Network access, the ability to inspect the host system or read from input devices are usually disallowed or heavily restricted. In this sense, sandboxes are a specific example of virtualization . Sandboxing technology is frequently used to test unverified programs which may contain a virus or other malignant code , without allowing the software to harm the host device. For a much more technical explanation, visit the link below. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_(computer_security) (Special note from Dan: Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a communications protocol for secure communication over a computer network . For a much more detailed explanation visit the link below.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Secure However, downloading apps also creates a trail of breadcrumbs, because now you’ve helped a criminal narrow down the possibility of institutions to access your accounts. With more than 70% of consumers still relying on weak passwords, your login credentials may not be much to deter hackers. Wait until you get home to your own secure network to conduct business. Even then, make sure your home network is secure. An article on how to do this is found here: http://joeorozco.com/blog_securing_your_home_network If you do plan on doing mobile banking, and most of you will: . Use your institution’s verified app; . do not use your mobile browser; . use two-factor authentication when this is available. . (Note from Dan: Two-step verification (also known as two-step authentication) is a process involving two stages to verify the identity of an entity trying to access services in a computer or in a network. This is a special case of a multi-factor authentication which involves the presentation of two or more of the three authentication factors : a knowledge factor, a possession factor, and an inherence factor. For more detail, visit the link below.) * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-step_verification * . conduct your business over a cellular network instead of public wi-fi. . If you do use public wi-fi, consider communicating over a virtual private network. An article explaining how to carry this typ of communication is found here. http://joeorozco.com/blog_securing_data_on_public_wi-fi Remember that the perception that one mobile platform is more secure than another is just that, a perception. 7. Prepare Your Phone for Remote Destruction It’s now possible to locate and track a lost or stolen smartphone; however, the phone needs to be set up before these precautions can work. Find My iPhone is a good way to find an iDevice using your iCloud account. Apple provides an article explaining the app found at the link below. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-my-iphone/id376101648?mt=8 On the other side of the aisle you can use Google’s native Android Device Manager. On Android Such an account can be created at this link. https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?service=androidconsole &passive=1209600&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fandroid%2Fdeviceman ager&followup=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fandroid%2Fdevicemanager remember that resetting a phone to factory defaults may not erase data on SD cards. Lookout Security & Antivirus is another popular Android option. More information on how to sign up and use the service is found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lookout 8. Dress to Protect Don’t be a pickpocket’s dream come true. Avoid putting your wallet in a back pocket and avoid shallow pockets all around. If possible, use a coat’s inner pockets, or consider a money belt. 9. Miscellaneous Tips . Never become so inebriated that you lose track of your belongings. . Never share more about yourself with a stranger than is necessary. . Never use an ATM if your gut feeling raises the alarm, and when you do use an ATM, block the public’s view to the keypad. . If you’ve lost personal data, had it stolen, or you generally suspect trouble, check your bank statements and notify your banks and credit bureaus. . If you’re traveling abroad, take down the contact information to your closest embassy in advance. . * The HomePage for the USEmbassy.gov . Is found here: http://www.usembassy.gov/ . Some of the advice here may seem over the top, hence the Paranoid’s Guide. Yet, a little paranoia is worth it if it spares you a few headaches and a lot of unnecessary stress, but what say you? Would you add anything or revise anything that’s been suggested? If you enjoyed this post and would like to receive future updates, follow me on Twitter @ScribblingJoe or subscribe at the RSS at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/jsorozco You may also use the form found at the link below to receive e-mail updates. Don’t worry, no spam: http://joeorozco.com/blog_the_paranoids_guide_to_protecting_your_identity_while_traveling When using screenreading software, The form’s first edit field can be reached by:Top of Form Bottom of Form 1. Press the letter h twice. 2. Press the letter once. You are laced on “enter your email address.” Pressing the letter h twice jumps the cursor past the search field at the beginning of the page. If you pressed the letter F (commonly used for moving to a form field), the cursor would be placed in an edit field for searching this site. Thus this work around. One could use the find feature and search for the word “email” without quotes. After entering in the search string of email hit enter. The cursor is placed on “enter your email address.” Just as shown above.]]>

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