{"id":78030,"date":"2024-05-03T16:16:52","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T08:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/version-2.com\/?p=78030"},"modified":"2024-04-26T16:19:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T08:19:39","slug":"imagine-vacationing-without-a-smartphone-cybercriminals-cant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/version-2.com\/en\/2024\/05\/imagine-vacationing-without-a-smartphone-cybercriminals-cant\/","title":{"rendered":"Imagine vacationing without a smartphone \u2014 cybercriminals can\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\"\"<\/div>

With all of the fake websites and apps out there, critical cybersecurity for travelers begins at home before the trip even starts.<\/em><\/p>

In the past, when travelers prepared for a long trip, they worried about getting lost, so they packed, among other things, a map, a compass, a radio, a dictionary, and a flashlight. Now it\u00b4s all more compact \u2014 all integrated into a smartphone. Thus, it is no surprise that many of us can\u2019t imagine a trip without this little assistant.<\/p>

But, just as travelers in history needed to be wary of pirates and highwaymen, so modern tourists preparing for the upcoming summer must also protect themselves from criminals operating in cyberspace.<\/p><\/div>

Try ESET Mobile Security at 50% off until May 2, 2024 <\/a><\/span><\/div>

The stakes can be quite high. Threat actors can not only abuse smartphones to steal identities or money from their owners but also make an entrance into their employers\u2019 business systems<\/a>. Let\u2019s be honest: how many of us use personal smartphones for work or vice versa? They say don\u2019t mix business with pleasure, but nowadays it is hard to avoid.<\/p><\/div>

Cybersecurity begins at home<\/h3><\/header>

As of April 2024, AV-TEST, the Independent IT-Security Institute, has shown that smartphones have faced nearly 35 million<\/a> instances of Android malware. The increasing greed shown by cybercriminals is also displayed in the latest ESET H2 2023 Threat Report noticing a rise of Android threats by 22%<\/a>.<\/p>

As cybercriminals become more creative, mobile device safety needs to be far more sophisticated than just keeping the device close and not accessing free Wi-Fi at coffee shops.<\/p>

As this ESET research blog<\/a> shows, the dangers begin as soon as an eager traveler begins checking visitor\/tourist recommendations about a destination.<\/p>

Threat actors can abuse legitimate festival<\/a>, traveling, or accommodation websites to steal victims\u2019 personal data, and money, and deliver malware or create impersonation websites to do the same. Another threat can come from abused apps such as fake translation apps <\/a>or trojanized legitimate chat apps<\/a>.<\/p>

Moreover, some of those attacks do not truly take aim at smartphone users, but rather seek to abuse compromised mobile devices to access employers\u2019 internal systems <\/a>via hijacked corporate accounts, for example.<\/p><\/div>

Staying safe<\/h3><\/header>

If you want to learn more about travel scams, check out this blog<\/a>. Here are a few tips on how to protect yourself:<\/p>