Ensuring Data Safety Over Thanksgiving

A chill fills the air, leaves of auburn shades fall down as Autumn weaves its way onto the streets and around cities. It’s also that festive time of year – Thanksgiving!

Finally, family will have time to catch up over a beautiful dinner surrounded by turkey, pumpkin pies, cranberry sauce, green beans, cornbread, and more. Often, family will travel far distances to see one another.

With all this excitement going on, you will need to ensure that all your data is secure and safe.

So keep these special tips in mind:

Keep Smart Devices in a Safe

If you have booked yourself and the family in at a hotel, safes are often available. Take advantage of them and store any smart devices you aren’t going to use for the day. These devices may include laptops, USBs, external hard drives, wearable technology and extra cell phones.

Be very cautious not to leave anything lying around, as many people have access to your hotel room and can slip in and out without detection.

Be Wary of Wi-Fi That is Not Password Protected

Hacking into people’s computers and devices is easier than you think and the number of people able to do this is phenomenal. It’s really important to only use Wi-Fi that is password protected.

No matter where you are—hotel lobbies, gyms, the coffee shop around the corner—make sure you stick to a password-protected network. If you have to use a public Wi-Fi connection, make sure you log out at the end of your session.

Take note of the HTTPS extension at the beginning of the URL to make sure it is protected and don’t opt for free public Wi-Fi; the dangers are just not worth it at the end of the day.

Be Careful Using Social Media

One of the greatest things to publish on social media platforms, like Facebook, is all the amazing places we go. Posting on social media lets our friends see a glimpse of the world through our eyes. The images we capture may be exceptionally beautiful and all we want to do is share.

What we don’t often take into consideration is that by announcing our vacations and family trips to the world, we make criminals aware of where we are (and where we aren’t), too.

Based on our own posts, criminals will know exactly when we are leaving, and how long we will be gone—they may take advantage of the fact that nobody is home and use our vacation as the perfect opportunity to gain access to all our private data lying around on hardware left behind in our homes.

Get into the Habit of Checking Sensitive Accounts Regularly

Traveling is always exciting. Not only do you get to spend time with the family you love, but you get a chance to relax and go sight-seeing. Just remember, it is of the utmost importance to check your most sensitive accounts, such as your bank accounts, often.

Checking this sensitive data before and after you leave your hotel room will help you keep an eye on any fraudulent action. Also, always, make sure to log out of your accounts.

Take Action to Ensure Data Security While You Relax

You’re on vacation and celebrating Thanksgiving with your family. The last thing you want is to constantly worry about your sensitive data getting hacked.

Maybe it’s a good time to invest in security software that will protect your data. There are many to choose from. You just need to pick the one that suits you, your lifestyle, and your pocket best!

Switch Off Automatic Bluetooth Connectivity

Bluetooth is great to use at home, in a secured work environment, or even in the car. Unfortunately, we often forget to turn off our Bluetooth connections when we go to public spaces, especially when on vacation.

When we’re in holiday mode, we often forget our responsibilities. With Bluetooth left on, anyone can gain access to our phones, laptops, or tablets.

Set Up Passwords on All Devices

This very simple action is sometimes forgotten. All you need to do is simply set up a password or pin to deter would-be hackers.

Choose complicated passwords that include letters, symbols, and numbers—not your name and date of birth—and you can rest easy.

Peace of Mind in the End

Once you have taken all these security measures, you can rest assured that while the fire is burning and you are enjoying each other’s company, your data will be safe while you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!