As a government employee you might possess extra-valuable information for hackers – how can you mitigate the risks while traveling?

In the age of the urge for immediate sharing, this may be difficult, but you can start your journey off safely before you even leave home by not announcing your vacation plans in detail via social media channels. Hackers are at the ready to break into your home or work systems to gain access to proprietary and confidential information via remote systems while you are away.

Here are some additional tips for government employees who are heading for the beach:

• When planning a vacation, you should only use websites of known companies

• Never click on links or attachments containing coupons or discounts in emails received from a travel companies or other marketers

• When logging into a website with a user ID and password, make sure it’s an “HTTPS” site

• Notify your credit card companies of your travel dates and locations so they can watch for unauthorized activity and alert you of any usage outside of your travel areas

• Every coffee shop, restaurant, hotel, and even some government facilities now offer free, publicly accessible WiFi; although they might be convenient, beware using these hotspots

• International travelers are even more at risk because hackers know you have little knowledge of international sites; many sites containing viruses and malware are directed to unsuspecting travelers advertising inexpensive transportation, tours and discounts

• The most obvious security risk is device theft; with physical access to your device a cyber-criminal can break your password in minutes

Losing your personal information or devices to thieves affects not only you but your organization or governmental facility. Fortunately, observing these precautions can keep vacation time the carefree downtime you deserve.

To read the entire article, please visit www.informationweek.com.