We are in the peak of vacation season and while you’re away, cybercriminals and burglars may be watching.

Virginia Tech computer science professor Christine Julien has some ideas on how you can enjoy your vacation, and at the same time, not get ripped off.

Julien heads Virginia Tech’s computer science department. She said even in these saturated social media times, it’s best to keep your travel plans private.

Her advice is to only share photos and itineraries with close friends and family. Burglars will monitor social media.

“It’s fun to post, it’s fun to share with your friends and families, but when you’re using social media, think about privacy settings. Who’s going to see that post?” she said. “Don’t sacrifice your own privacy and security and safety just to kind of brag about your cool trip to the South of France.”

Whenever possible — and she said this is good advice in your day-to-day life and not just when on the road — use caution when it comes to using public Wi-Fi networks, especially in businesses you normally don’t go into.

“We got to be really careful about those public WI-FIs. Some of them are provided by coffee shop XYZ. Some of them might be being provided by the dark figure in the corner trying to pretend to be coffee shop XYZ,” Julien said.

While you are on the road, another concern she has is over the widespread use of public, USB-based charging systems. Julien suggests investing in a personal charging unit for your phone, instead of plugging into a public device.

“That same cable that you use to charge your phone … is also a data cable,” she said. “If you need the charge, you need the charge, but I would be wary about any pop-ups that then might appear on your phone.”

Julien also said it’s a good idea to activate the “remote wipe” and “Find My Devices
on your smartphones, just in case you lose it.