What to do while traveling

While you are abroad, here are some things you should do to keep your information and devices secure.

Physically secure your devices and documents

If you travel with mobile devices or documents containing confidential information, always secure them somewhere you can monitor.

• Never leave electronics, passports, driver’s licenses, or debit and credit cards unguarded.
• If you aren’t using them, keep them somewhere inaccessible to pickpockets and thieves. You might consider switching your valuables to a locking compartment in your travel bag or to a front pocket of your clothes rather than an unlocked bag pocket or the back pocket of your pants.
• If you need to leave them in your hotel room or temporary residence, lock them in a safe first.

Avoid using public or untrusted devices, connections, and software

Never assume that devices, connections, and software you encounter while abroad are secure. Take precautions to protect your information.

• Don’t use a public computer or an unsecured network to log in to any accounts. You might be surprised how often using an unsecured hotel network can lead to problems later on.
• Avoid making financial transactions or accessing sensitive data unless you can guarantee that both your device and your connection are secure.
• If you need to connect to University computing resources, use UD’s VPN server and the Cisco AnyConnect client to ensure a secure, encrypted connection. Never access University data or connect to University resources through unsecured devices and connections.
• While it may seem counterintuitive, ignore any notifications informing you that you need to update or install software while you are traveling. You should have updated everything before you left, and there’s a very real possibility that these notifications are coming from malware.
• If you are traveling for an extended period of time and think you should update your device’s software, verify the update notice at the vendor’s site and, if possible, download the update directly from the vendor’s site.
• Be wary of installing any software purchased or downloaded abroad. Only purchase electronics or software from reliable and official sources.
• Customs or other government officials may ask to inspect your device before you are permitted to enter or leave a country.
• If you have encrypted your computer’s disk or device’s memory (as you should have), be prepared to decrypt it for this process. This is another reason to remove unnecessary and personal information from your device prior to traveling.
• Additionally, import and export restrictions may affect what you can bring into or out of a country. If you intend to purchase electronics while abroad, verify that you will be able to take your new device home with you.

Be aware of customs and import restrictions

• Customs or other government officials may ask to inspect your device before you are permitted to enter or leave a country.
• If you have encrypted your computer’s disk or device’s memory (as you should have), be prepared to decrypt it for this process. This is another reason to remove unnecessary and personal information from your device prior to traveling.
• Additionally, import and export restrictions may affect what you can bring into or out of a country. If you intend to purchase electronics while abroad, verify that you will be able to take your new device home with you.