Cybersecurity Issues for Business Travelers
Travelers primarily don't consider the risks of connecting to public
wi-fi, logging into publicly accessible computers, and charging
their gadgets at public USB stations, like hotel business centers
and gas stations. What is more concerning is that individuals
engage in these risky activities while traveling for business at a
higher rate than when traveling for personal reasons.
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of these situations. The travel
and transportation industry was the 2nd highest industry for
cyber attacks, according to IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index
2019 study (Barlow, 2019). Therefore, this issue must be
addressed, and employees should be taught how to protect
information while on business trips.
Business travelers should carefully consider the probable dangers
of using smartphones and laptops during their travels. A
compromised gadget can allow unauthorized access to companies'
networks, placing personal and organizational information at risk.
Research from Kaspersky unveiled that 24.7% of the world's
public wi-fi hotspots do not use encryption. Hence, it is important
to understand that any data shared through public wi-fi can easily
be intercepted. The risks increase if appropriate security, an
antimalware program, or VPN does not protect the user's device
(Parsons, Pantridge & Flaherty, 2021).
Publicly accessible computers can be found in Hotel business
centers, cybercafés, and libraries. But, travelers cannot trust these
computers to be secure. They might not have an updated
operating system or antimalware software. Travelers can also be
victims of physical theft of devices. Unattended laptops and
phones containing sensitive information can be stolen, putting
personal and organizational data at risk. While at conferences and
training events, software and hardware may be provided to
participants. These materials may unintentionally or purposely
have malicious software.
Senior executives have been identified as the most targeted,
especially CEOs. There have been some significant attacks in
recent years that targeted business leaders. An example of such
an attack is Darkhotel, where compromised wi-fi networks were
used to target high-profile guests at hotels across Asia. The
attacks used social engineering tricks to get the guests to
download malware from fake wi-fi login sites before they could
engage a VPN (Barlow, 2019).
Recommendations
Because travelers carry devices during their journeys, they should
enable passwords on their devices and change the passwords
before traveling. It is always good to ensure the passwords meet
the complexity requirements set by the organization's security
policy. Change the passwords at regular intervals and when the
travel is completed. In addition, it is recommended to enable the
setting that will delete all the data on the device if the password
is entered incorrectly after several incorrect login trials
(Hoelscher, 2018).
Since Travellers encounter different public wi-fi access points, it is
best to avoid connecting to these access points. Also, they should
avoid transmitting sensitive information if they connect to these
wi-fi hotspots. It is also good to disable Bluetooth and avoid
charging devices by connecting them to USB ports of unknown or
untrusted computers and charging ports. Travelers should take
extra caution with all devices they attach or load to the devices
they carry. Before traveling, travelers are advised to backup
important data files to a device they will not travel with. These
will protect their data if their devices are stolen (Parsons,
Pantridge, & Flaherty, 2021).
Conclusion
It is evident that threats to cyber security, both physical and
technical, can rise significantly when traveling. A traveler is
exposed to an open environment different from the known and
secure environment at workplaces. Therefore, heightened
cybersecurity awareness is needed when traveling to protect
personal and organizational assets.
References
Barlow, C. (2019). How Cyber-secure are Business Travelers? New
Report Says Not Very. Retrieved from:
https://securityintelligence.com/posts/how-cyber-secure-are-
business-travelers-new-report-says-not-very/
Hoelscher, P.(2018). 30+ cybersecurity tips for travelers.
INFOSEC. Retrieved from:
https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/topic/30-cybersecurity-tips-
for-travelers/#gref
Parsons, F. J., Pantridge, M. J., & Flaherty, G. T. (2021).
Cybersecurity risks and recommendations for international
travelers.
Journal of Travel Medicine
,
28
(8), taab103.
