SCU Security Guides

GUIDELINES FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL WITH TECHNOLOGY

Always use additional precautions when traveling internationally with electronic devices.
International travel increases the likelihood that both personal and university owned devices and
data will be compromised.

The Santa Clara University Information Office (ISO) recommends the following baseline
precautions are taken to reduce the likelihood that your devices will be compromised. If any of
your devices are compromised, having taken these precautions will reduce the negative impacts
for you and for SCU

For questions about any of the recommendations listed here, please consult with the
Technology Help Desk (408­554­5700) or the ISO (iso@scu.edu).

Pre­Travel: What to Do Before Leaving on an International Trip:

• Start preparing weeks before leaving for your trip.
• Whenever possible, use loaner laptops and/or handheld devices while traveling.
  Take the computer, but leave your data behind. This reduces the likelihood of theft or
  compromise that will expose your data. Upon your return, the device can be wiped clean,
  which reduces the risks of importing threats back into your home environment.
  • Check with the Technology Help Desk for more information on loaner devices.
• Encrypt all mobile devices that you are taking with you ( computers, tablets, mobile
  phones, etc.) You should check to see if the country you are traveling to has any
  encryption import restrictions. Some countries (such as China, Israel, and Russia) have
  restrictions on the import and use of encryption tools and do not allow cryptography tools
  to be imported or used within their borders without a license, or in some extreme cases,
  at all.
  • If there are restrictions, the ISO recommends you take a loaner device. For more
    information on encryption restrictions, consult:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictions_on_the_import_of_cryptography
• Loaner devices do not need encryption. If you aren't carrying around all your
  usual data and information, the chances of something being compromised is
  reduced. This is especially handy when traveling in countries that don't allow
  encryption.
• Do not store passwords or other credentials on the device
  • Do not store passwords on the device outside of password management
    applications designed to securely store and handle login credentials
    (usernames/passwords combinations).
  • Be sure to reconfigure the web browser(s) to not save passwords. This prevents
    the login credentials from being saved in the browser cache.
  • The IT Service Center or the ISO can provide recommendations for safe
    password storage options.
• Leave sensitive data stored securely on SCU servers and access it remotely only
  via SCU’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. This requires planning in advance
  (to install VPN on your device), but it goes a long way toward providing secure access to
  your data without transporting it with you. Make sure that you test your ability to get to
  your data using VPN from some place off campus before leaving.
  • Get VPN at: http://vpn.scu.edu
• Make sure all operating systems and applications are updated and patched before
  leaving for your trip.
• If you aren’t using a loaner computer, uninstall unused and unnecessary
  applications and turn off unneeded services on your computer. Leaving them
  installed and/or running only serves to provide additional, possibly "unlocked" doors for
  intruders to gain access through when attacking your device.
• When you use a loaner device, you should still make sure all operating systems
  and applications are updated and patched before leaving. You don't have to worry
  about turning off unused and unnecessary applications, because the loaner should not
  have a bunch of extra stuff running on it—it's a blank slate for you to safely use while
  traveling.
• Whether you take your own computer or loaner, don’t accept any patches or
  updates while in foreign countries, as infected updates are becoming a more common
  attack vector.
• Make sure you are running at the lowest possible privilege level.
  • While traveling, do not use an administrator account as your primary user
    account. Running as a non­administrative user on your system will defeat a
    significant number of malware and browser exploits, because your computer is
    less likely to allow software, including malicious software (malware), to be
    installed without you (1) clicking "install" and (2) typing your administrative
    password.
• Only connect to known and trusted networks.
  • On all your mobile devices, turn off "join wireless networks automatically." Always
    manually select the specific network you want to join, only after confirming its
    name and origin with the provider. Turn off wireless and Bluetooth, when not
    actively being used.
• Keep track of what credentials you use while traveling.
  • Whether you sign into personal or SCU accounts, keep track of the services you
    have accessed. The ISO strongly recommends that you change these passwords
    when you return. If you’re on an extended trip, change them periodically. Don’t
    use the same password for multiple services.
    Post­Travel: What to Do When You Return to Campus After Travelling Internationally
• Change passwords for all services you accessed during your trip, on a trusted
  computer.
  • When changing passwords, remember to pick strong, complex passwords. Do
    not reuse the same password for multiple services.
• As a rule of thumb, have the devices you took on the trip assessed by IT Service Center
  staff or the ISO for signs of intrusion—before you connect to SCU’s network or your
  home network.

Additional Tips and Advice

• We strongly recommend that you use loaner devices because the risk of compromise
  while traveling internationally is high.
• If for some reason you cannot take a loaner laptop, be advised that it can be extremely
  time-consuming and difficult to determine if a device has been compromised. As such, it
  is best to act accordingly—if you didn't travel with a loaner device, seek help from your
  local IT support to format and reinstall the operating system and applications upon
  returning to campus.
• Return your mobile devices to their pre­travel configuration. This includes any device you
  are taking with you (computers, tablets, mobile phones, etc.).
• Before connecting to another system on campus, turn off any services that you enabled
  specifically to facilitate your work while traveling, update and apply any patches that
  were released while you were away, and scan any data you brought back for malware.
• For more information on travel to specific countries, consult:
  http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html