The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has officially announced the Commemoration Day and UAE National Day holidays for 2022. For the private sector, the break will be from Thursday, 1 December, to Saturday, 3 December.
“The three-day official paid holiday is in implementation of the UAE Cabinet resolution on public holidays for the public and private sectors for 2021 and 2022,” according to a statement by MoHRE.
The UAE National Day marks the spirit of the union of the Emirates in 1971. This will be UAE’s 51st National Day celebration and the first for the nation’s president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as leader after he was elected in May.
Multiple events and celebrations will take place across the country during this period. In line with this, the Ministry of Interior announced on Friday, the rules to be followed during celebrations of the UAE National Day.
In addition, many citizens and residents will seize the opportunity to travel out of the country. Unfortunately, hackers and cybercriminals are also counting on individuals to let their guard down.
As the adage goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. So, as you prepare for the long weekend, here are some things to take into consideration to make sure that you have a trip free of cyber worries
- Use strong passwords. Recent industry reports revealed that 61 percent of breaches are due to improper credential management. This includes using poor passwords across accounts. To protect yourself, use strong unique passwords coupled with MFA.
- Keep up with software updates. Ensure that all your devices are up to date and your apps have the latest security patches before hitting the road. You should also use reputable application stores or sites to download the software.
- Check app permissions. Give applications the least required permissions for the task they are to perform.
- Have a backup. Make sure you have backups of the valuable data on the devices you are bringing.
- Think twice before you post. Avoid announcing the dates of your upcoming travel plans on social media. In addition, do not post your travel photos in real time, as this could alert criminals of your location.
- Stop and think before you click. Carefully assess links and attachments in emails, social media sites or other sources before accessing them. When in doubt, do not click.
- Turn off Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connections. If your devices are set to automatically connect to an available Wi-Fi or Bluetooth network by default, it could allow threat actors to gain access to your device without you knowing immediately. Make sure to disable this to deter cybercriminals from compromising your device.
Remember, cybercriminals do not take vacations. That’s why it’s important to stay vigilant and to take the necessary cybersecurity precautions to avoid falling victim to hackers.
