The from Broomfield’s Webroot sounds like an old curmudgeon: Don’t use free public Wi-Fi while traveling. Lock your device. And my goodness, don’t even think about posting photos or Tweeting about your trip while you’re still on the trip.
Webroot, the 20-year-old security software developer, does have a point, and is not difficult to find.
Grayson Milbourne, Webroot’s security intelligence director, said he knows of true tales of free wireless hot spots set up in public areas to lure unsuspecting users and steal data.
Auto-locking one’s phone would also have come in handy for the one in five millennials who reported losing their mobile device while traveling, according to , which looked at millennials’ and baby boomers’ attitudes on cybersecurity and travel.
And of course, warnings have been on oversharing vacation plans that could tip off strangers when you’re not home. Sites like have been around since 2010. Plus, metadata in some image files could share location details, though and others now out of photos.
“My general rule of thumb is: Know your audience,” Milbourne said. “If I have a Facebook account and I’ve been vigilant that only a certain type of people can see my updates, I’m less concerned because I know who I’m sharing with. Twitter is more of an open forum, so whatever you share is shared with the world.”
The survey was conducted in May 2016 by polling 201 millennials and 204 baby boomers in the United States. Results separated the security habits of the two generational groups, and the findings were not too surprising.
For example, nearly two-thirds (59 percent) of millennials share their personal travel plans on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Among baby boomers, 71 percent said they never share such information on social networks.
“Older people are just more security-minded because they have a lot more to lose,” like a house, Milbourne said. “Younger people in general are a little more daring and cocky in how they approach the world.”
What the two generations do share is a concern over the security of personal information. No matter what their age, the majority of both age groups is concerned with the security of their credit card accounts and Social Security numbers.
The one surprise? Most people don’t have some kind of security software on their mobile device.
“Boomers are just under half, but millennials are 10 percent below that, at 39 percent. But I bet most use some sort of security software on their desktop,” Milbourne said.
Web-based attacks and social engineering can make any device vulnerable, and security software can alert users to attacks, he said.
Milbourne recommends travelers back up data in case the device is lost or stolen, use the phone’s wireless connection instead of free public Wi-Fi, and use passwords and lock the device in case it gets lost.
“Most users generally don’t look at who else is on the hot spot. A hacker could be there,” he said. “Using your cellphone’s data line is much, much more secure. … We’ve certainly seen examples of people setting up their own hot spots that aren’t affiliated with the airport that are meant to trick users into using them.”