Safe travel

Travel safely this summer and win a reading book

The summer vacations are about to begin: a break, a change of pace, fewer appointments and, if all goes well, time to recharge your batteries instead of being constantly on your phone or laptop.

I look forward to it every year and yet it always starts the same way at home: suitcases open on the floor, lists on the table and discussions about what to bring (supboard, fishing pole... you name it, and they make it up).

The teenagers in our house are quite clear about this: as long as the phone comes along. Chargers, cables and earplugs are often ready before a T-shirt is even packed, and to be honest: I'm probably no better.

Vacation mode = less alert
What strikes me every year is how quickly you slip into a different mode as soon as you're on vacation. Do you recognize that too? You are more relaxed, less critical, more inclined to click on something or think: it will be all right.

And that is exactly the moment cybercriminals take advantage of.
Because while you and I are relaxing, things like that just go on. Indeed, the VU Service Desk and the SOCC team see that it is precisely during vacation periods that things go wrong - more often than you might think. Not massive and big, but small and unnoticed:

• a phone disappearing from a beach bag
• a laptop left behind at an airport
• a quick login via a public wifi network
• A message that seems just credible enough

What do you take ... and what would you rather not?
For me, safe travel starts with a simple question: do I really need this device?
My phone is always with me. There's almost no getting around that. But my laptop with work on it? I doubt that more and more. It used to come with me : "just in case" (we saw it again with Canvas). Nowadays I usually leave it at home.

Not only because vacation should really be vacation, but also because something at home can't get lost on the way. It sounds simple, but this is often the most effective measure you can take.

Is your phone going with you? Make it deliberately safe
My phone is basically a little office in my pocket. So is yours?
E-mail, calendar, documents, access to systems - there's often more on it than meets the eye. That's why I always take a few minutes before I leave to set it up properly. No complicated stuff, just simple checks that make a lot of difference:

• Do I have a strong access code and is MFA on?
• Is automatic screen lock on?
• Are my CopyID and Check Your Bill app still working?
• Is there a privacy screen on my phone?
• Do I have emergency numbers (such as VU SOCC) saved?
• Can my device be remotely blocked or erased?
  

I, too, find it exciting
And then there's another one I always find exciting, but sometimes do anyway: temporarily delete Teams and Mail from my phone. Not just from a security perspective, but also because it helps to really disconnect from work.
Do you also find it exciting or complicated to set this up properly? I get that. Imagine accidentally losing something....

Good to know: information security coordinators will receive practical training to help with this during the CIB networking event on July 2. In the meantime, or if your unit doesn't have a CIB officer, you can always contact the IT Service Desk to set up your phone safely for your vacation.

I'm traveling and I'm taking... reading books
For me, vacation also includes something else: reading. Whereas the rest of the year I mostly read digitally, in the summer I love to crack open a real book. No screen, no notifications - just offline for a while.
That's why the ISO team made a list of our favorite reading books for this summer. From exciting stories to books that make you look at technology and behavior just a little differently.

1. Dead End - Jo Callaghan
   Thrilling thriller in which AI is used in detection - shows how technology influences decision-making.
2. High Treason - Steven Van Belleghem
   About the power of technology and corporations - prompts reflection on dependence on digital ecosystems.
3. Lost Woman - Charles den Tex
   On identity and control in a digital world - what if everything that defines you is no longer true?
4. What the hack! - Maria Genova
   Accessible non-fiction (also suitable for teens) with real hacking examples - raises awareness without getting technical.
5. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
   Classic about encryption and secret services - shows how vulnerable systems are when one link fails.
6. Daemon - Daniel Suarez
   About software that makes autonomous decisions - confrontational picture of systems that become out of control.
7. The Cuckoo's Egg - Clifford Stoll (nonfiction)
   True story that reads like a thriller - how a small incident grows into cyber espionage.
8. She Who Must Die - David Lagercrantz
   Hacker Lisbeth Salander in a modern spy story - digital power and deception.
9. Cyberstorm - Matthew Mather
   A cyber attack flattens a city - makes dependence on digital infrastructure concrete.
10. The Blue Nowhere - Jeffery Deaver
    Thriller about a hacker who manipulates people through digital trails - the human side of cyber threat.
    

Share your tip
Do you have another book you think: this is something everyone should read this summer? Send your tip to ciso@vu.nl.
We're giving away 10 books from our reading list. So this summer, not only do people travel on, but great stories as well.

Enjoy your vacation, recharge and stay digitally savvy this summer too.
Happy summer!

Sunny greetings,
Irma