Table of Contents
- How to avoid becoming a target for scammers who attack travelers
Have you ever been on the train or bus and seen a fellow passenger looking at what you are doing on your phone?
And would you notice if someone was looking over your shoulder at what you were doing?
Nearly three-quarters of public transport users say they are concerned about cybersecurity risks during their journeys, even though most expose themselves to these risks anyway.
With the average commute time being 59 minutes per day and around 2.2 million people using public transport to get to work every day, commuters could be unwittingly exposing themselves to cybersecurity risks every day.
Who’s listening? Talking about work-related issues on public transport could reveal too much information to those nearby
Over-the-shoulder snooping fraud is where fraudsters watch what you do to collect passwords, PINs and personal details that can then be used to scam other people. Earlier this year, Santander’s fraud director warned about the modern version of over-the-shoulder snooping, which involves stealing your phone and using it to drain your accounts.
And not only your personal life can be at risk, your job too.
While people are generally aware of the risks, as many as 66 percent said they are happy to type work emails on public transport, while a third use word processing software when surrounded by other commuters, according to cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.
However, by doing so, Kaspersky warned that travelers could risk exposing themselves to cybercriminals who exploit this oversight.
Perhaps most worryingly, Kaspersky warns that these criminals are likely to use a targeted approach when they find a potential victim.
While there is certainly a risk of unlocking your phone or banking app to an opportunistic criminal, the danger could also come in the form of attacks targeting travelers with knowledge of or involvement in sensitive business or financial information.
“Targeted attackers are doing their reconnaissance,” David Emm, security researcher at Kaspersky, told This is Money.
‘The information they (the attackers) have could indicate that someone will be on a specific train line, perhaps because it leads to where that business is located, and they could know who the individuals are because they’ve done their research.’
Businesses often have physical security barriers in place, such as key-locked passes for entrances, as well as digital security for their IT systems. However, as employees are increasingly expected to be “always on,” existing precautions are rendered useless when work is carried out in the public realm.
Emm said: “If you go back 20 years, we didn’t have this kind of always-on culture that we have now… We’ve reached a point where employees are expected to be available 24/7, and we have the technology to make that possible.”
“A lot of attacks start with hacking humans,” he said. “I don’t think companies necessarily think about the potential impact, in part because there’s no paper trail that goes from something said on a train or a badge I wear, to (a company facing) a financial consequence.”
Warning: David Emm says cyber attackers may target specific travelers
Those who travel with visual cues of the workplace on display could be putting themselves at risk of becoming targets of these types of attacks without realizing it.
More than half of respondents said they had seen work badges, personal IDs and email signatures that revealed names and workplace information while riding public transit.
Malicious actors could use this information to target commuters who they believe might reveal sensitive company information while working or making business phone calls on public transportation.
While about 43 percent of people make efforts to protect their privacy, only 38 percent said their employers had given them guidance on using their devices while traveling.
Emm said: ‘Think about World War II, when they took away the signs and maps, and there were signs saying, “If you let go, you’ll sink.” People got used to that safety thing.’
“We have to keep in mind that, one way or another, there may be people spying on us and they might be interested in what we say. A little discretion is probably a good idea.”
SAVE MONEY, EARN MONEY
Boosting investment
Boosting investment
5.09% cash for Isa investors
Cash Isa at 4.92%
Cash Isa at 4.92%
Includes 0.88% bonus for one year
Free stock offer
Free stock offer
No account fees and free stock trading
4.84% cash Isa
4.84% cash Isa
Flexible ISA now accepting transfers
Transaction fee refund
Transaction fee refund
Get £200 back in trading commissions
Affiliate links: If you purchase a product This is Money may earn a commission. These offers are chosen by our editorial team as we believe they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.
