Passports, optimizing your packing strategy, and making sure the kids are entertained most parents’ vacation planning lists. Cybersecurity might not be a top contender, but neglecting it exposes your family to needless risks.

Before going on your next adventure, familiarize yourself with the three common cyber threats kids face on vacation and what you can do to keep them safe.

Public Wi-Fi Dangers

Asking kids to forego chatting or playing online with friends on vacation is a tall order. Besides, free Wi-Fi is likely available in your hotel and at cafés or restaurants, so what’s the harm?

Not every public network is automatically dangerous, but fakes are easy to put up and tricky to spot. Connecting to such a network can expose unsecured information the child types in, redirect them to malicious or inappropriate websites, and even put their accounts at risk through session hijacking,

How to avoid: Always have children ask for your permission before joining a network and check that it’s legit. Ask staff for the exact name and look out for name variations or typos. Be especially suspicious and don’t connect if you’re asked for information other than the Wi-Fi password.

Since even genuine Wi-Fi can be monitored, have everyone use a VPN when connecting. Downloading a free VPN will encrypt the connection, protecting children’s privacy and adding an extra layer of protection.

Fraudulent Apps

Kids will find a way to get bored even if you fill the vacation with fun things to do and download the entire last season of Bluey as an emergency backup. The first thing they’ll likely do is reach for their phone; downloading a shady app might be the second.

The App Store and Google Play run a tight ship, especially in the kids section, so outright harmful apps are rare. That said, the kid might download an app that asks for way more permissions than it should need. Or worse, a freemium, ad-ridden mess designed to get kids to pay real money and potentially steal your financial information.

How to avoid: Ideally, you’ll want to team up with your child to stack up on fun new apps before the trip. Have them choose, but have parental controls on and pay attention to user reviews and permission requests. Downloading new apps during the vacation should only happen with your approval.

Make sure to delete old apps once kids get bored of them to free up space and prevent apps that don’t receive updates anymore from becoming a security risk.

Oversharing on Social Media

Traveling teens will want to tell everyone all about their vacation. Their social media will likely be abuzz with poolside pics, place mentions, impressions, and plans. This may attract unwanted attention if their accounts are public.

A lot can be discovered from a seemingly simple status update. The child might say exactly where you’re vacationing, how long you’ll be there for, and what you plan on doing at any given moment. This gives invested crooks a perfect itinerary of their own to burgle your home or snatch the valuables you left at your Airbnb.

How to avoid: Teach children about the dangers of oversharing and encourage them to be mindful when posting. Vacation photos and updates should only be shared with people they know and trust. Even then, it’s best to do so once the vacation is over and use only pictures and text that don’t reveal too much personal data. If you’re concerned that information on you or the kids might already be out there, it’s a good idea to consider identity theft protection services. You can get a reliable plan with a Coveron discount code at a cheaper rate. These services can monitor the dark web and alert you if any of your personal or sensitive info appears where it shouldn’t, giving you time to take countermeasures. They also have family insu