High-Tech Devices Do Not Travel Well

Life's tough. And dangerous. Even when you go on vacation. Why? Forgot to shut the windows? Or turn the bathtub faucet off?

No. It's the high-technology you own that's causing you wrinkles.

It doesn't have to.

High-tech devices and their use anywhere, even in the midst of a five-star resort, can bring untold troubles upon you. Especially if you resort to using your credit cards and communicating with others, using WiFi services you're not familiar with.

Here are some basic instructions to keep your mind at ease (and your devices safe).

Watch where you WiFi

Yes, WiFi access, even access for free, has become a selling point for hotels, cyber-cafes, and it's available in airports and some airplanes, as well. But if you want to be safe, don't think you are at home. Browsing: yes. Activities that require logging in (and more): no. Absolutely not.

Here's the main danger: most WiFi connections that you get free of charge are not secured. That means that anyone with sufficient knowledge can get into your e-mails, login sequences or instant messages. In fact, security experts say, it's these kind of connections (and computers supplied for use by hotels and resorts, too) that attract most malware designed to steal data.

The connection has to ask you for a WPA (WiFi Protected Access) key. If it doesn't, it's not secure. By all means, use it if you must. Just make sure, if you're using your own computer but somebody else's WiFi connection, to turn off each and every application on your computer that automatically connects to the Internet. These include e-mail and all and sundry file-sharing tools. Besides, try accessing sites by typing "https" at the beginning of the URL.

And a final reminder: hotels on occasion provide their guests with a PC stationed in their lobbies. A great touch. And dangerous. If you have to print your boarding pass before you go to the airport, by all means. If you want to go to the weather prediction network to find out whether to pack your parka into your luggage or take it as a carry-on for your flight from, say, Jamaica to, say, Tuktoyaktuk, fine. But that should be the extent.

Get your bank to pay your regular bills in your absence

Avoid paying your bills in a public place, especially if you're not sure whether you're using a secure connection. And if it's a computer supplied by your host (resort, hotel, what have you) that you would want to use, it would be better if you went to a local bank and made the transaction there. Even if you have to pay a transaction (transfer) fee. It can be cheaper that way in the long run.

Most financial institutions offer free automatic bill payments. Use them.

Of course, you may be using financial services from an institution that doesn't offer these automatic services. You may have reasons why you prefer them. They might be offering chocolate chip cookies whenever you talk to their tellers. Still, what you CAN do is pay your bills just before you're leaving. Leave for the airport with a few minutes to spare, stop at the bank, pay, and that's it. It can also happen that you'll be on the road still while the next billing cycle arrives. Simple: pay a bit more than your current bill asks you to pay, to cover for that period of time.

Of course, you could have just plain forgotten and still you don't like paying fines. Here's the trick: create a temporary password. As soon as you come back home, change it.

Speaking of passwords ...

The computer security and safety company Webroot has got a few words of useful advice. Yes, "%14lugnut_(1776)-tutu" is better than "pass*word." Still, it's not completely safe. Then again, not even the most creative or intellectualized passwords can guarantee complete peace of mind. There are creatures out there, working hard at breaking your password. The weaker it is, the easier you make it for them.

There's software out there, known as keyloggers. It can snatch and monitor keypad activity. Encrypt all you want, says Webroot ominously, there's still a chance your password will be passed along. (Of course, they have to speak like that. They are offering security software for sale, after all.)

You won't believe it, but if you ask a search engine about keylogging, the first pages more often than not will offer you downloads of this spy software. For free, some of them, too.

Anyhow, Webroot says, you've got options. Use phrases that either mean something to you or that you associate with whatever site you wish to visit. How's 2BorNot2B_ThatIsThe? sound to you? For the uninitiated, this would be: To be or not to be, that is the question, a line uttered by Hamlet in a play bearing the same name, by William Shakespeare.

Or you can be creative. Imagine the letter W. Got it? And now look at your keyboard. You can see this combination: 1qazdrfvgy7...that would be the letter W. Just try this approach. It may fool you from time to time, but it should definitely fool a hacker.

And, of course, why not use emoticons . Yes, some sites don't recognize them, but most do. You'll never know if you don't try it.

Back up, back up, back up

Where are the days we carried all of our important data in our heads? The songs we liked we knew by heart. Besides, for a number of reasons, we would only care to remember stuff that was important. Not now. Just check out your MP3 players, portable hard drives and thumbdrives, and smartphones (and the tiny memory cards inside of them).

Guess what: all this data is in jeopardy as soon as you close the door behind you. Whatever data you've got on your portable devices, back it all up. What if you manage to lose it? Or, Heavens forbid, break it?

While you are at your best bordering on paranoia, use passwords to protect the devices you're lugging around. Of course, the most logical thing would be to leave them all at home, but you are a hi-tech freak who just wouldn't survive a minute without being accessible to all and sundry on your e-mail, telephone and whatever else. So, at least use passwords and access codes to prevent strangers from using them.

And, by the way, there is software available that lets you wipe data off from your devices in case they disappear on you. Not just delete. Wipe. Wipe leaving no trace whatsoever. Install such an application, make sure it works, keep it.

Be mysterious

It's one thing to tell all and sundry that you're going to this wonderful beach party round the corner from your house, and why don't you all come and join, and a completely another thing to tell everybody (via Facebook, preferably) that you won't be home for several weeks. Social networks are sieves. Remember it, and treat them as such.

Police will confirm the strange twist in progress: burglars have been using Facebook and Twitter with increasing frequency to find safe places to break into. You'd be doing the same thing if you were a burglar. Why risk capture if you don't have to?

Some people, of course, just simply have to tell friends where they are just now, and how much they're enjoying themselves, and whatnot. Used to be a postcard saying "Wish you were here" would more than meet the case. No longer. We're the generation of bloggers. If you really can resist the temptation, why don't you (at least) not set privacy settings so only your closest friends and/or family can follow you on your trip around the world in 80 days?

While you're at it, avoid clicking on social networking sites' icons that tell you they would take you this or that site. Copy and paste the address into your browser's address window. Ever heard of likejacking or clickjacking? These are scams that can help criminals gain access to your accounts, using the indisputable weaknesses in your browser.

Don't leave your devices unattended

Remember the airport announcements that tell you not to leave your luggage unattended? Remember the flight check-in clerks' questions whether you packed your luggage yourself and whether you left it unattended even for 30 seconds?

The idea behind it is that there is someone out there who can plant an explosive device (or drugs for you to smuggle without knowing about it) in your luggage while you're not watching.

With electronic devices, there's the risk someone's going to steal them (taking your precious data long for the ride). There's also the risk you'll get sand in your DVD drive while you're on the beach. Getting sand out of such a drive can be a hellish proposition.

Here's an idea: if there's a hotel safe, use it. If there's a safe in your room, use it. Don't just leave it hiding under your pillow. You may be missing something once you come back from the day frolicking among the waves.

Other than that, have a safe trip.


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