Fort Lauderdale has a vibrant music and nightlife scene. With events like Sunfest, Tortuga Music Festival, and Audacity Beach taking place every year, there are always rocking-good times to be had. Yet, music festivals in Fort Lauderdale may pose cybersecurity risks to their attendees.
Attendees aren’t the only ones at risk. Music festivals themselves are also targets. Criminals may mock ticketing sites to collect information from unknowing hopeful attendees. Remote festivals often trust a telecom company for onsite Wi-Fi, which hackers can exploit.
In this article, we’ll go over the top 5 music festivals in Fort Lauderdale and offer some tips on how you can enjoy live music cyber-securely.
1. Tortuga Music Festival (Rock on the Ocean)
Tortuga Music Festival (Rock on the Ocean) is an annual three-day music festival that takes place on Fort Lauderdale’s stunning beachfront. The festival has featured some of the biggest names in country music and rock, including Blake Shelton, Sheryl Crow, and Shania Twain.
Alongside music, Tortuga supports the Rock the Ocean Foundation and promotes marine conservation. Educational activities, interactive displays, and art installations are found throughout the event to promote this cause.
Tortuga is the most well-known music festival in Fort Lauderdale. Thousands of visitors flock to this event each year and some could be malicious hackers. Be wary of anyone who offers a free Wi-Fi hotspot if they’re not festival staff. They may be trying to steal your data or install malware on your device.
2. Audacy Beach Festival
The Audacy Beach Festival occurs in winter. The festival features performances by some of the biggest names in music, as well as up-and-coming artists. Two stages feature 23+ artists of varying genres, such as electronic, hip-hop, rock, and pop.
Visitors can also shop for unique items from independent vendors at the local marketplace or enjoy eating at one of many food trucks throughout the festival grounds. VIP attendees get additional perks, like more food truck options and a VIP lounge.
There are plenty of photo ops at this beachside festival. If you’re posting selfies on Instagram, be mindful of what information you share in your posts.
Hackers use social media information not only to compromise your accounts but also your employer’s. Personal identifying information (PII) helps attackers access corporate IT networks. If they collect enough information, they can impersonate you to gain access.
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3. Sunfest
Sunfest runs in early May and features a wide range of genres. It’s Florida’s largest waterfront music festival and features everything from rock, hip-hop, reggae, jazz, Latin, top 40s, and world music. Attendees can also enjoy onsite carnival rides and boat tours along the Intracoastal Waterway.
Whenever you attend an event of this size, it’s best to turn off your mobile device’s Bluetooth. This is to prevent bluejacking or bluebugging. Both attacks exploit your Bluetooth wireless connection to access your phone without your knowledge.
Usually, bluejacking is used to send unsolicited messages over Bluetooth to nearby devices. However, it can be used to collect personal information. On the other hand, bluebugging injects your device with viruses or spyware.
4. South Beach Jazz Fest
It’s a 1-hour drive from Fort Lauderdale to Miami Beach, but thousands of attendees are willing to make the trip for South Beach Jazz Fest. The event is one of the largest jazz festivals in the United States and showcases all that the genre has to offer from traditional swing to contemporary fusion.
It also hosts workshops led by renowned artists so budding musicians can expand their skills. There are jam sessions and live performances, special receptions, and social events. The festival offers a unique combination of music entertainment and education.
Many music festivals have a public Wi-Fi connection for their event. Connecting to insecure Wi-Fi is never a good idea. If you must, install Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your phone before the event.
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5. Rolling Loud Festival
Rolling Loud is the largest hip-hop festival in the world. It occurs in multiple locations including Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami Gardens (just a 25-minute drive from Fort Lauderdale).
Since its original launch in 2015, the three-day event has featured some big names including Travis Scott, Cardi B, Post Malone, and Future. The Miami Gardens edition attracts 60,000+ people each year. Attendees can also enjoy pop-up shops and exclusive after-parties.
At Rolling Loud, you’ll inevitably be packed into some tight crowds. Tight, crowded areas are the ideal spot for pocket scanners. Pocket scanners quickly, and discretely scan your phone’s RFID tag to steal your information.
Protect yourself from pocket scanners by keeping your phone in a “hard to reach” place. Favor front pockets and never leave your phone unattended.
Stay Cyber Safe at Any Fort Lauderdale Music Festival
All of these tips help any music lover stay safe at their favorite festivals. However, the music festival committees are also responsible for their audience’s cyber safety. Understandably, you want to give your attendees convenient internet access, but you must understand the risks.
If you’re a festival that needs an internet telecom provider and VOIP in Fort Lauderdale, why not choose one that also specializes in cybersecurity?
JCM Telecom provides telecommunication, managed IT, and CCTV to Fort Lauderdale. We would love to support any Fort Lauderdale music festival. We offer customized service plans so you can scale up your service needs as your event approaches.
Contact us to find out more about how JCM Telecom can support your event.
