Spring Break is right around the corner, and many in the WashU community will be traveling for conferences, studying away, researching elsewhere, visiting family, or just going somewhere relaxing. No matter where you go, your smartphone will undoubtedly be at your side. These handy devices have become our constant companions for just about anything you can think of, including making payments, storing boarding passes, producing maps of anywhere, finding rides, ordering food, and just about anything else you can imagine. Unfortunately, the devices we rely on for all these things have also become targets for theft and cybercrime.
Whether you’re going home or traveling for the break, please protect yourself and the WashU community. Remember the following travel tips to stay safe:
Travel Light
- Lighten your load and keep your belongings close to minimize the chance that something will be lost or stolen.
- Make a copy of your important documents. If you lose the originals, you can report loss or theft with the information on the copies. Contact your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if you lost your passport outside the U.S.
- Minimize how much cash you carry. A cashless wallet is less valuable to a thief, and you can dispute credit card charges with the credit card company. If you are traveling, notify your credit card company so they don’t mistake your out-of-country purchases for fraudulent transactions.
- If you travel with a device, offload sensitive data before leaving. Save your files in WUSTLBox or OneDrive before leaving, and remove them from your device. Remember to check your Downloads folder and Trash for files containing sensitive and protected information.
- If you’re a faculty or staff member traveling for university business, consider using a loaner laptop for travel. These devices are encrypted to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to private or proprietary information.
When Using Public Wi-Fi
In the past, if you connected to a public Wi-Fi network, your information was at risk. Most websites didn’t use encryption to protect it from hackers snooping on the network.
Today, most websites encrypt your traffic, so connecting through a public Wi-Fi network is usually safe.
To know if your connection is encrypted, look for a lock symbol or https in the address bar to the left of the website address. This works on a mobile browser, too. It can be hard to tell if a mobile app uses encryption, but the majority do.
Smartphone Theft
- Do not let strangers use your smartphone.
- Set the lock screen to use passcode or biometric authentication.
- Share your location with emergency contacts on iPhone or Android. If you lose your phone, they can help locate it.
- Enable Find My Device on Apple and Android devices.
- Turn on Stolen Device Protection for iPhones to prevent someone from making changes to settings that can lock you out of your iPhone or Apple ID account. These measures help protect your device and account and give you more time to turn on Lost Mode using the Find My app or Find Devices on iCloud.com.
Register Your Trip
- If you’re traveling for university business, be sure to register on MyTrips International Travel Registry. Doing so will allow the university to help you in case of a problem or emergency. Registration is required for faculty and staff requesting a loaner laptop.
- Share your itinerary with someone you trust back home.
- Add luggage tags with your contact information in case they get lost.
- U.S. citizens and nationals traveling abroad should register with the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Also, be sure to check the Department of State website for travel advisories and information about how your devices may be screened during a border control check.
If your device is lost, stolen, or compromised during travel, contact the Office of Information Security at infosec@wustl.edu
Best wishes for a secure Spring Break!