A Catholic Guide to Holiday Cybersecurity: Protecting Families on Their Journey

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The Advent and Christmas seasons are here, bringing blessed times for family gatherings! These holy days are filled with sacred traditions, joyful celebrations, and precious moments with loved ones as we prepare for and celebrate the birth of our Lord.

But amidst all the preparations and festivities, it's important not to let your guard down when it comes to your family’s safety.

The holidays are also a season of higher activity for hackers and scammers.

With a few simple steps, you can ensure your family's devices and data stay safe during these holy days. Here's our faith-focused guide to holiday cybersecurity:

1. Secure Your Devices Before You Go 🔐

“Prevention is better than cure," as the saying goes, much like how regular prayer and confession help protect us spiritually.

Before packing for your Christmas gatherings or winter retreats, take a few minutes to secure your family's devices.

• Enable locks on all devices.
  
  Make sure all your devices, including kids’ devices, have a PIN, fingerprint, or faceID protection enabled.
  
  This keeps your devices locked down in case they get lost while traveling or while passing through checkpoints like airport security.

  
  

• Make sure your devices are updated to the latest version available.
  
  Software updates are not just about getting new features and emojis. Updates give you the latest security protections against malware and other threats.

  
  

• Enable automatic updates.
  
  It’s an easy step to enable that will give you instant peace of mind that you won’t fall behind on updates or security protections.

  
  

• Back up important data to the cloud or an external hard drive.
  
  Accidents do happen, and it’s so tragic to lose precious data like family photos and videos.
  
  It’s happened to my own family when we were selling an old phone. We tragically lost some early baby photos and videos of our son.
  
  Make sure you can recover your most important documents.
  
  It’s just a matter of preference of how you want to do it.
  
  Would you prefer having your data on a physical medium like a USB thumb drive? Or you could use cloud storage like iCloud, Google Photos, etc.
  
  Here are a few worth mentioning to get your juices flowing:

  • Family photos and videos

  • Records like birth certificates, insurance policies, and family medical records

  • School and work files

  • Financial records

  • Family address books and contact lists

  • Passwords and digital accounts (Online banking, shopping, and subscription logins)

2. Be Wi-Fi Wise 🛜

Free Wi-Fi is super convenient, but it can also be risky. We should be cautious about the digital networks we connect to. Anyone can connect to those networks and you don’t know how safe they really are.

Here's how to stay safe:

• If you can help it, avoid accessing sensitive information on public Wi-Fi.
  
  Unless there’s a real emergency, you shouldn’t check your online banking accounts or other sensitive information over public Wi-Fi.
  
  Even checking your email should be avoided on risky Wi-Fi networks.
  
  

• Beware of fake Wi-Fi networks.
  
  Wi-Fi at places like hotels, airports, and coffee shops should not be 100% trusted.
  
  It’s trivial for hackers to create a fake network and make it look like it’s the nearby Starbucks serving up Wi-Fi.
  
  Then, you innocently connect to this fake Wi-Fi network, which lets the hacker see and steal your data.
  
  They can make it look so realistic that you’d never know the difference. Trust me, I've done it before in my previous experience working with companies!

  
  

• Use a VPN to encrypt your internet connection, especially if you need to use a public Wi-Fi connection.
  
  VPNs (or Virtual Private Networks) create a secure tunnel over the Internet.
  
  It’s a layer of protection between your data and any prying eyes along your connection to the website you’re trying to reach.
  
  Think of it like slipping into your own personal internet tunnel.

  
  We recommend Proton VPN.

  
  

• If you don’t have a VPN, use your phone's mobile hotspot for a more secure connection.
  
  If you’re able to use your cellular data, stick to that connection instead of using public Wi-Fi.
  
  You can even share your cellular data with other devices through a hotspot.
  
  This method is safer compared to going through public Wi-Fi.

3. Protect Your Photos and Location Data 📸

While sharing the joy of Christmas celebrations and family gatherings is wonderful, let's be mindful of what we post:

• Avoid sharing your exact location in real-time.

  
  While it's tempting to share live updates of your holiday adventures, consider if you should be revealing your precise whereabouts.
  
  Posting real-time location updates on social media can alert potential burglars that your home is unoccupied, making it a target for break-ins.
  
  

• Wait until you're back home to post photos.
  
  This further reduces the risk of alerting others that your home is empty, as burglars often scour social media for signs of absent homeowners.
  
  This way, you can still keep friends and family updated without compromising your home's security.
  
  

• Turn off geotagging on your phone's camera to avoid embedding location data in photos.
  
  Many smartphones and digital cameras automatically embed GPS coordinates, known as geotags, into the photos you take.
  
  This location data can reveal precisely where a photo was captured, which can be problematic if you share the image online.
  
  Most social media platforms do a decent job of removing this information, but not all of them do.

  
  It’s best just to turn it off if you don’t want to risk it at all.

4. Prepare for the Unexpected 🔍

As Scripture teaches us to be vigilant and prepared, the same applies to our digital lives:

• Enable "Find My" or similar tracking features on all devices.
  
  These features allow you to locate, lock, or erase your device remotely if it's lost or stolen, providing an extra layer of security and peace of mind.
  
  Make sure to set up these features before your trip, so you're prepared in case of an emergency.

  
  

• Consider tracking your belongings with tools like AirTags.
  
  Tracking devices, such as Apple AirTags or Tile tags, can help you keep tabs on your belongings during your travels.
  
  Attach them to your luggage, backpacks, or other valuables for easy tracking.
  
  If something goes missing, you can quickly locate it using the companion app on your phone.
  
  

• Know how to remotely lock or erase a lost device.
  
  In the unfortunate event that your device is lost or stolen, being able to remotely lock or erase its data can help protect your personal information from falling into the wrong hands.
  
  Familiarize yourself with the steps to lock or erase your device through its associated cloud service, such as Find My for Apple devices or Google’s Find My Device for Android.
  
  This knowledge can be invaluable in a stressful situation.

5. Educate Your Kids 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Just as we guide our children in faith, we must also guide them in digital safety:

• Help children understand that online safety is part of being a good steward of the gifts God has given us

  
  Consider making it a family rule to always ask for permission before joining a new network.
  
  Help your kids understand how to identify trusted Wi-Fi sources, such as a password-protected network at a family member's home.
  
  

• Explain how to use technology in ways that honor our Catholic values
  
  Help them understand that the information they share online can have real-world consequences.
  
  Once something is posted online, it’s nearly impossible to completely remove it.
  
  Discuss the potential risks of oversharing, such as attracting unwanted attention or revealing sensitive personal details.

6. Use Travel-Specific Security Tools ✈️

Whether you're visiting family for Christmas, or making a winter pilgrimage, these tools can help keep your family safe:

• Password managers to securely store and access login information.
  
  Password managers help you create, store, and organize strong, unique passwords for all your accounts, reducing the risk of hacking or data breaches.
  
  We like and recommend password managers like Proton Pass and 1Password.
  
  

• Portable chargers to keep devices charged and avoid using public charging ports.
  
  Public USB charging ports, such as those found in airports or cafes, can be tampered with to install malware or steal data from your devices.
  
  It sounds crazy, but it’s true.
  
  Using your own charger protects you against this risk.
  
  

• RFID-blocking wallets or passport covers to prevent electronic pickpocketing.
  
  RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology is used in many credit cards, passports, and other identification documents.
  
  Thieves can use RFID readers to steal your information wirelessly without your knowledge.
  
  RFID-blocking wallets and passport covers are lined with materials that prevent unauthorized scanning of your documents, protecting you from electronic pickpocketing.
  
  

• Travel routers to create a secure Wi-Fi network anywhere.

  
  Travel routers are compact, portable devices that allow you to create your own secure Wi-Fi network using cellular data.

  
  By setting up your own password-protected network, you can avoid connecting to risky public Wi-Fi hotspots.

  
  Some travel routers also offer additional features like built-in VPN support, file sharing, and media streaming, making them a versatile tool for staying connected and entertained during your travels.

With these tips, you're ready to enjoy a safe and blessed holiday season!

Remember, just as we take small steps in our faith journey, small steps in cybersecurity lead to better protection for our families.

That’s the goal. Small steps lead to big improvements over time.

Now, go make some amazing memories as you celebrate these holy days! 🎄✝️

Safe travels,
The CyberCatholic Team

📱 Protect Your Family's Digital World

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