2019 FIBA World Cup: How to Stay Safe Online in China

Nikosia, Cyprus, September 05, 2019 --(PR.com)-- This Saturday, the biggest basketball tournament in the world, the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, has its grand opening in China. As great numbers of basketball fans from around the globe are arriving to China, experts want to raise awareness of the potential cybersecurity issues at big sports events.

“Sports fans must be cautious and act smart online. Otherwise, they get distracted by their surroundings and then become easy prey for unscrupulous hackers,” says Daniel Markuson, the digital privacy expert at NordVPN. “Although China is well known for its strong digital censorship and surveillance, its internet is also crawling with various scammers looking for gullible tourists to hack.”

Watching your favorite team win or lose might be emotionally overpowering. Therefore, it is essential to follow these basic rules that could prevent you from getting into trouble:

1. Stay away from free public Wi-Fi. Public Wi-Fi hotspots are among the greatest security issues during mass events. Hackers use free and unprotected network connections to snoop on people’s devices and steal their private data, including passwords, banking details, and other sensitive information.

2. Use a VPN. Install a reliable virtual private network, such as NordVPN, on the portable devices you bring to FIBA World Cup. A VPN will encrypt your traffic and prevent your sensitive data from leaking, so you’ll be able to enjoy public Wi-Fi risk-free. For example, NordVPN is very easy to use and lets you pick any server from over 5,700 available in 60 countries. Moreover, a VPN will allow you to access the content blocked in China.

3. Be careful with IT-related merchandise. If someone hands you a USB key or a CD, accept it politely, but don’t rush to put it into your computer. According to Daniel Markuson, these media storage devices might contain viruses and other malicious content that could, intentionally or not, transfer to your computer. Therefore, don’t feel bad about throwing them away.

4. Don’t download unofficial apps. During big sporting events, many fake applications show up for download. Don’t get tempted by free software offers, such as totalizers, live streaming programs, and games. Use and download only official apps powered by the organizers and sponsors of the event. Most importantly, stay away from free VPN services as they are slow, unreliable, and collect your information, especially China-based VPN providers.

5. Always update your apps and software. Don’t ignore the little pop-up windows that tell you about the software updates available for your device. Make sure your security software, such as antivirus and VPN, are always up to date on both your laptop and smartphone. Daniel Markuson, the digital privacy expert at NordVPN, says that software updates are crucial for cybersecurity. That’s because they often repair security flaws, fix or remove various bugs, add new features, and improve the existing ones.

With the record 32 participating teams and 92 games played over 16 days, 2019 FIBA World Cup is arguably the most exciting sports event this year. Just don’t forget about the security measures you need to take to enjoy the show to the fullest. Have fun.

About NordVPN

NordVPN is the world’s most advanced VPN service provider, used by over 12 million internet users worldwide. NordVPN provides double VPN encryption, malware blocking, and Onion Over VPN. The product is very user-friendly, offers one of the best prices on the market, has over 5,000 servers in 60 countries worldwide, and is P2P friendly. One of the key features of NordVPN is zero-log policy. For more information: nordvpn.com.