In a world of rampant cybercrime, keeping your personal data safe is an ongoing concern. Staying on top of the latest security features and techniques is important no matter where you are, but it’s particularly crucial when you’re on the road. Here are a few tips to ensure that you don’t get hacked while you’re travelling.

Update Before You Head Out
Hackers constantly devise new strategies to exploit vulnerabilities. Because of this, old iterations of software are more likely to be compromised. You may regard having to constantly update your devices as a nuisance, but security patches are your first line of defense against prying eyes.

Create Backups to Leave at Home
Losing a device is expensive, but losing your personal data could be catastrophic. The best way to avoid this fate is to create backup files that will be stored in a safe place at home. A desktop, external hard drive, or flash drive all work well for this purpose. You can also store your backups in the cloud. Using both methods is the strongest fail-safe against data loss in the event that a device goes missing.

Avoid Free Public Wi-Fi
Travelling involves using unfamiliar and possibly unsafe networks. A good rule of thumb is to avoid Wi-Fi that doesn’t require a password to connect to. If you absolutely need to use public Wi-Fi, don’t log in to any of your private accounts. You should also disable file sharing before logging on to a public network.

Turn On Your “Find My Phone” Feature
If your phone does get lost, a “find my phone” feature will help you locate it. You won’t need to spend time retracing your steps. Instead, you’ll know whether your phone is at the restaurant you dined at or the gift shop you visited afterward. You can also remotely wipe all the data on your phone using this feature. With this feature enabled, a thief may get your device, but they won’t get your information.