🔒 Cybersecurity for lawyers

Some people like to breeze onto a plane with nothing in their hands; others like everything onboard with them, so that they can make a swift exit.

Keeping all your electronics with you can be a bit of a pain (such as having to take them all out when you go through security at an airport. But if they are in your sight at all times, there's likely to be a lesser chance of them being stolen.

It may not always be your choice: planes in particular have limited cabin space and, if you're one of the last people to board, there may be no space for your bag. If you can, pack your electronics so that they fit under the seat in front of you, so you are not reliant on space in an overhead locker.

If you do have to put electronic devices which hold data in the hold, power it down, rather than just putting it in sleep mode, to maximise the protection afforded by full disk encryption.

Hopefully, you’ll have a strong password for the machine, and you won’t have it written on a sticky note attached to the machine.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office website is a good source of safety information, especially if you're heading somewhere off the beaten path.

However, even if you are going somewhere pretty common, take care. For example, some cities (such as Barcelona) are known for being particularly bad for pickpocket or distractions thefts, including mobile phones.

Losing your phone is an easy way to receive a large bill, even if no other security impact. However, even if you have a PIN or passphrase or fingerprint, these will not stop someone from removing the SIM, putting it into another device, and making calls with it. If you are going to a country with a high risk of phone theft, consider a SIM PIN.

If your phone does get stolen, report it to your operator as quickly as possible, to lessen the chance of liability for any unauthorised use.

(If you use your phone for two-factor authentication (e.g. via SMS), you could be in a particularly difficult situation — without your SIM, you might be locked out of your bank, your social media accounts, and possibly even your mobile operator's online account.

Does your hotel have a safe? Is it big enough for your laptop?

Still probably going to disclaim liability for loss form a hotel safe, but may be better than nothing. Consider taking your bag with you — although that brings its own risks, such as leaving it lying around, or having it taken from you.

Bear in mind that most hotels will have an override key for the “forgetful guest”, so don’t assume anything you put in the safe is secure from hotel staff. Even if your computer is still there when you get back, no guarantee someone with a key has not tampered with it.

Potential malware vector, if a computer connected to the other side of the USB port attempts to send data to your device. Some phones attempt to stop this, but you might also consider a “USB condom” / data blocker: a USB device which has the data lines cut, meaning that it can carry power but does not allow data connections.

Potential meaning of killing your device. e.g. USB killer. High voltage, to fry your USB ports and possibly other parts of your device.

Safest thing to do? Don't use them, and instead charge using your own power supply. If you are willing to take the risk of a “USB killer”, you could charge your own external battery pack from a public USB socket, and then use that battery pack to charge your device. In using this two-step approach, your phone (the device with the sensitive data on it) is never connected directly to the untrusted circuit.

Do you need all your files with you?

It might be convenient to carry all your files. Other times, it might be worth just taking the bare minimum you need.

If someone takes your computer away from you, goodness knows what they are doing to it.

You might be fine, or you might now have a device under the keyboard keeping track of everything you type. Probably time for a new computer, and restore that from a backup you took before you left.

Consider putting nail polish over the screw holes on your device — that way, there's at least a chance you would be able to tell if someone has tried to unscrew your machine. However, if a machine has gone out of your sight, you're probably best treating it as compromised, and securely wiping it and getting rid of it.

Some countries (including the UK) give their border officials wide-ranging powers to search electronic devices, and to compel travellers to hand over their passwords.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has some practical advice.

These usually thin bits of cable might lessen the risk of a casual thief grabbing your computer from a coffee shop table, but they are unlikely to stop anyone who is determined: bolt cutters will get through most security cables with ease.

It's probably easier just to take your bag with you, even if it means finding another table.