Desde HBR

February 02, 2016

Protect Your Intellectual Property While Traveling

Many business travelers aren’t aware of the threat of espionage, but the dangers are greater and more prevalent than ever before. What can you do to protect yourself and your intellectual property when conducting high-stakes business travel, especially overseas? Here are a few tips:

• Avoid disclosing your travel details to strangers.
• Use a disposable cell phone.
• Install an asymmetric email encryption program such as “Pretty Good Privacy” (PGP) on your computer.
• Put sensitive business documents on password-protected USB drives.
• Never use complimentary WiFi when traveling, and always use a trusted VPN.
• Carry all electronics with you at all times.
• Use a strong passphrase (instead of a password).
• Make it a habit to power off your devices when they are not in use.

Adapted from “Everyday Business Travelers Are Easy Targets for Espionage,” by Luke Bencie