Entrepreneurs logging online while travelling must use complex passwords, remain wary of public wireless access points and make sure their network settings are private or face malicious software attacks which could steal confidential data such as bank details, security firm AVG has warned.
The warning comes as a new survey from the anti-virus maker issues a stern caution to Middle-East travellers, with internet users in Turkey, Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan the most likely to receive cyber threats or malicious software attacks.
While entrepreneurs might often be too busy to pay attention to technical details, AVG spokesperson Robert Thomson says the survey shows all internet users cannot afford to be negligent about their online safety.
“Our research should also serve as a wake-up call to people going abroad. Very often you may access your files on a computer that doesn’t belong to you, or you may access a shared network – neither of which incidentally are things we would ever recommend.”
The survey reveals Turkey is the most dangerous place in which to log online, with a one in 10 chance of being attacked. Russia followed with a one in 15 chance, followed by Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The US came in ninth, with a one in 48 chance of being attacked, with Britain ranking 31st. Germany ranked 41st with a one in 83 chance of being attacked.
The safest surfing havens were noted as Sierra Leone, with a one in 696 chance of being attacked, followed by Niger with a one in 442 chance, although AVG points out broadband penetration in those countries is relatively low. Japan came in third with a one in 403 chance, with Thomson noting the country’s high level of safety due to extensive promotion of anti-virus software.
“It’s worth noting that in Japan where both internet use and broadband penetration are high, AVG software only picked up a web attack for every 403rd user. Awareness levels in Japan about risky behaviour online are probably higher.”
While Australia managed to rank 37th with just a one in 75 attack ratio, Thomson said examining ratios by continent is equally important for travellers. North America poses the greatest risk, followed by Europe with just a one in 72 chance of being attacked. In Asia, that grows to one in 102.
“Some of this may be a tendency to access semi-legal or illegal download sites, while some of it probably is down to being less cautious when it comes to sharing links and files online.”
“Finally the key point is that all these web attacks were successfully caught and stopped by AVG. Even the global average of facing a 1 in 133 attack on any given day does not present great odds if averaged out across a year. Hence the importance of making sure that your computer really does have the right anti-virus software installed.”
The firm recommends installing a comprehensive anti-virus product that includes a firewall, cleaning out computers of spyware before a trip and making sure all security settings are set on maximum.
And with the rise of public Wi-Fi access, Thomson says users must ensure all their information is protected when connecting to a public network.
“Be very careful what information you share in public locations. Even seemingly innocuous logins to Web-mail accounts could give hackers access to get into your more important data, especially if you’re like most people and use the same password – maybe with a few variants – for almost all of your online accounts.”
“If you unwittingly connect to a malicious network, a hacker could easily transfer a malicious spyware agent onto your machine that could follow you and track your online activities even after you leave the public location.”
He also recommends avoiding financial websites, such as the website for a bank, or using credit card transactions in WiFi zones. Laptops and PDAs must be protected with passwords, while comprehensive back-ups of all information on all devices must be kept safe.
“Avoid saving any personal data or confidential data on your laptop, mobile phone or PDAs so that the information doesn’t fall into the hands of criminals in case of thefts.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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