Cybersecurity Expert Makes Data Breaches Personal To Encourage Smart Security Practices For Spring Break Travel (NAPS)—Asa father, Maurice Gib- son says his smartphoneis integral in documenting his childrens memories from vacations. Butas an assistant dean for the College of Information Systems andTechnology at University ofPhoenix, he worries aboutthe risk of losing much more thanhisdata if his phoneis hacked. Gibson warns that people may over- look cybersecurity best practices when traveling if they focus primarily on protecting information like credit card Don’t take a break from proper precautions whenit comesto cybersenumbers or passwords. He encourages while you're on vacat Americansinstead to look at cybersecurity as a wayto protect not only personal data* but memories. “Most of our experiences today are captured in moments through our smartphones.I have children, and were always taking photos of them while on vacation. Losing those photos is like los- ingtheir childhood? Gibson says. “For me, looking at cybersecurity on a personal level helps to incorporate smart cybersecurity practices.” ‘Three-fourths of Americans bring their smartphone with them on vacation, according to a survey from Univer- sity of Phoenix. The survey also found that 48 percent of respondents worry about cybersecurity risks while traveling. However, 55 percent feel that the needto use personal devices on vacation outweighs cybersecurity risks. Americanspractice habits that put them at risk of cyberattacks, but very few take measures to prevent data breaches. Three in 10 access credit card or banking websites while on vacation and 23 percent make purchases online. However, only 39 percent of those sur- veyed update antivirus software before traveling and fewer than a quarter (24 percent) change passwords*, Gibsonsharesthree tips to help preventdata breachesthis spring break. Post photosonline from the hotel or home,not in public. Gibson says that people should be wary of how often they post photos online or onsocial media while traveling, especially on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks, which are often used to avoid mobile datalimits and provide criminals an opportunity to breach devices. Rather than loggingonlineat a coffee shop orin the hotel lobby, he says to wait until you are in your room and canuse a network thatis password protected. Disable Wi-Fi auto-connect and location trackingservices. Gibson encouragestravelers to disable their phone's feature that allowsit to auto-connect to public Wi-Fi networks when in public,as well as turn off location trackingthat can make it easier for criminals to track and access data. Refrain from providing information on howlongyou will be away becauseit can put your homeatrisk. Avoid making online purchases in public. Popular spring break destinations can be primelocations for criminals looking to steal credit card information or other data. Gibson warnstravelers not to make online purchases on public Wi-Fi. These networks are not secure andcan be monitored by anyone, making sharing payment information dangerous.If you must make purchases onlinein public, use your phone’s more secure hotspot. For the complete survey findings, visit www.phoenix.edu/about_us/media- center/news/uopx-releases-summertravel-cybersecurity-survey-results.html. To learn more about the University’s degree offerings, visit phoenixedu/ technology. 1. wwwphoentxedu/about_us/media-center/news/uopx-releasessummer-travel.cybersecurty-survey-result.html 2 Ibid
