Securing Wallet Access While on the Go: My eSIM Solution for Lebanon

[HenriL]

Hi everyone, I just got back from a three-week assignment in Beirut and wanted to share a practical tip about security while traveling. Two-factor authentication (2FA), transactions I only do all that over mobile data, never on a shared network. It might seem paranoid, but with everything we read about account compromises, I prefer to limit the attack surface, especially when working with clients abroad and not always having control over the local infrastructure. The problem is that, in the past, I often found myself having to make do with a local SIM card bought on the fly upon arrival—with the lines, having to show my passport, and sometimes a limited data plan that didn’t last the full three weeks. Before leaving, I looked into eSIM plans for Lebanon rather than relying on hotel Wi-Fi or buying a local SIM card upon arrival. I set it up from Nantes before the flight, and once I arrived, it worked without a hitch even during the round trip to Baalbek for the client, where the Wi-Fi at my lodging was clearly not something I’d have wanted to connect to for checking my transactions. I stuck to mobile data for anything involving sensitive access, without having to juggle a physical SIM card in addition to my work phone. How do you handle it when you’re on assignment in countries where public Wi-Fi isn’t trustworthy?

[Chinesebaby]

How do you handle it when you’re on assignment in countries where public Wi-Fi isn’t trustworthy?

Discarding the use of the public WiFi just the same way you did in the hotel is definitely the best thing to do when you happen to find yourself place or country where it's public Internet connection can not be trustworthy. And sometimes not only when it's perceived to not be trustworthy, but also when you have an important information or huge sum of money that you won't want it to get into the wrong hands. Because most of these public WiFi might be an avenue through which hackers gain access to your device, and by connecting to it continuously, you give them the opportunity to steal your important informations.

[Somegory]

The use of eSim will only safe your ass from simswap attacks, using a sim card in Lebanon is still safe too, just don't just connect to any public WIFI is all, someone who is running a eSim can still get greedy when they see free WIFI connection.

Since I started to use the internet I've never connected to any public WIFI before, when people talk about how they got hacked because they use a public WIFI I always laugh at them because it's obvious that they are greedy.

Free things always mean on thing, someone is in control of you for that moment and some will even control you for a long period of time, if you hate free things you will likely never get hacked or scammed.