Back to Basics: No Tech Hacking at 30,000 feet

Sometimes I travel for work. Sometimes I travel for pleasure. Sometimes when I travel for pleasure I bring my work along so as to maximize the number of days a year I can spend traveling for pleasure. How about you?

Recently I was on a plane, and it came to my attention that the computer screen directly in my line of sight had all the telltale signs of doing work. Was this passenger aware that I as well as several other passengers could see what had all the looks of stuff that should be shredded before heading to the dumpster? Translation: little ‘ole me who was bored with the onboard entertainment should not be able to see this information.

The thing that really got my attention and caused me to write this little note was when the passenger in question got up to go to the lavatory. On the surface this seemed like an ok thing to do. The fasten seatbelt sign was off. People are generally trustworthy enough that if some would-be cybercriminal swiped the passenger’s laptop, many witnesses would come forward and the laptop would be recovered. The problem was the passenger’s screen was still visible. Did the passenger know the individual sitting in the next seat even? Doesn’t the passenger’s company have a security policy complete with compliance training and certification that strictly prevents this sort of behavior?

In short, be vigilant. Just because you aren’t in the office, threats to company security are everywhere even at 30,000 feet. With smaller cameras with better zoom coming every day, it’s fair to say that anything on your screen may be readable to anyone with a view of your screen. Be aware of your surroundings and use caution when accessing work-related resources in public.