He who travels more, sees more...

 ...unless, of course, you are the victim of an ATM skimming attack. The criminals who affix nefarious devices, such as skimmers and video cameras, to ATM machines typically do so in off-the-beaten-path areas. Adventurous travelers who also like to explore the world's nooks and crannies may find themselves in just such an area.

I recently posted photos, from my friend Lisa, on Facebook of what an ATM skimmer may look like. Interestingly, Frank, one of my Facebook friends brought up an important point as he commented on the post. His call was for card companies to begin to roll out "smart cards." Sometimes referred to as "chip cards" or "EMV cards," these pieces of plastic are much harder for criminals to duplicate because there is no magnetic stripe from which to pilfer the data they need to create counterfeits.

Many banks and credit unions across the U.S. are right now migrating their cards to the EMV chip standard. Retailers and ATM operators, too, are preparing for this eventual switch. You may want to ask about it at your financial institution to see when you can expect your old mag-stripe card to carry a chip.  Be aware, though, that with this security improvement, you must still protect your credit card information and watch out for other credit card fraud that doesn't require the physical card.  

Vacations are all about the experiences you have and the memories you make - and in today's society, the memories you share with the world. But what about your "right to be forgotten?" Have you heard the scuttlebutt about this new concept?

After a European Court of Justice ruled that Google must respect a "right to be forgotten," the Internet giant established a search removal request process for people living in Europe. If you are a European who believes Google has indexed irrelevant or outdated information about you, you can request to have it removed. Naturally, this has caused some controversy. And it's not a cut-and-dried issue.

Removal of erroneous information is one thing. For example, the credit bureaus have mechanisms in place for consumers to dispute false entries on their credit reports. But what about accurate information? Just because it's old, should it be removed? Does it depend on whether you posted it yourself, or if someone else posted it? What becomes of our history if we begin to remove everything unseemly from the record? This seemingly simple question involves a lot of complexity and issues to consider.

Some are speculating that even removed information will still be at least referenced by Google. You can see here an example of how the company is predicted to reflect "missing" results online.

It will be interesting to see this if this concept takes hold in other areas of the world. It's hard to imagine such a ruling in the U.S., what with the government's well-documented goal to gather intel on its citizens from ISPs, Internet companies and telcos. 

Keep calm and travel on...

As mentioned earlier, I have just returned from an international trip to Bogota, Columbia. I stayed diligent to make sure I didn't have any information stolen; hopefully I was successful! Here are some good tips for protecting information security and privacy while you are away from home:

• Be careful using apps and services that remotely control your home appliances, locks and more. You could create more security and privacy problems than you actually solve.
• Watch out for vacation scams, such as fake travel websites, counterfeit event tickets and phony rental listings.  
• Be aware of the risks associated with posting your vacation plans and photos on social media. They can always be shared upon your return. Make sure to share these tips, from my friend Micky, with your children. 
• Keep each of your devices on lockdown while traveling abroad.
• To avoid an increased risk of identity theft, put mail service on hold for the entire time you are away.
• Don't carry any copies of something that would be difficult to replace if you lost it and use passport cases that lock out RFID frequencies to prevent hackers from scanning them to steal your personal information.

In addition to keeping your information safe, don't forget to use common sense and your gut instinct to protect your physical self. Years ago, I was nearly tricked into opening the door of my hotel room to who-only-knows after receiving a call from "hotel security" at 2 a.m. Be suspicious of anything that doesn't sound right, and keep your guard up at all times!

Bogota is known for the abundance of graffiti art throughout the city.

I love traveling the country and beyond to raise awareness of data security and privacy. See below for two of my upcoming destinations. If you're in the area, stop by to say hello!

August 19: Providing a session called "Cybersecurity & Business Data Privacy" at the IT Service Management Leadership Forum in Scottsdale, AZ

October 16 & 17: Providing a keynote at the Australian Information Security Association's National Conference in Melbourne, Australia. 

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