Tips for keeping your Mobile Secure

Tips for keeping your Mobile Secure

With the modern day world revolving around being available, anywhere, anytime, the trusty smart phone has become inseparable in our daily lives, BUT, this has meant that you keep so much more information on your devices, making them vulnerable to cyber threats.

So, what can you do to protect your phone (or tablet) from cybercriminals? Here's some Top Tips you can use to help keep you secure.

No alt text provided for this image
Add biometrics to unlock your device

1. Set up biometric authentication like Touch ID or Facial Recognition on your device, and back that up with a unique (non-sequential) PIN or pattern (minimum 6 characters), make it difficult to guess, simple patterns or your date of birth are too easy.

No alt text provided for this image
Look after your device.

2. Keep your phone physically secure, treat it like your wallet (it may well already be your digital wallet) and lock your phone when it’s not in use (set-up the auto locking feature on inactivity after 1min.)

No alt text provided for this image
Have a backup of your data.

3. Always back up your smartphone’s data. If your mobile device gets lost, stolen or destroyed, would you feel safe that your contacts, pictures, apps and email data are secure? Make sure that you sync your phone, so your data is backed up, whether that be on the cloud or to a personal, external hard drive (if using a hard drive encrypt your backups).

No alt text provided for this image
Beware of Juice Jacking

4. Avoid public charging stations unless there is an emergency. Hackers have been known to set up fake charging stations in scams known as “juice jacking.” After you plug in, they can access your phone’s data or install malware on the device.

No alt text provided for this image
Know your mobile applications

5. Only use official apps from Google Play or the App Store. Do NOT download apps from third-party sites. Cybercriminals create “fake” apps to trick people into downloading malware or spyware on your device. Check your apps to see what information they are accessing. Mobile apps can be a real threat to your security, with 83% of apps having at least one security flaw. Be cautious about what permissions you grant the apps that you download and limit them running in the background.

No alt text provided for this image
Stay upto date

6. Always update your phone’s Operating System (OS) when prompted. These updates are meant to protect your device and information. This can be set-up automatically through your phone’s settings menu. Updates help to correct security vulnerabilities that could be used by cybercriminals to access your phone or information. Often, you will need to be connected to Wi-Fi and a charger to install the updates.

No alt text provided for this image
#thinkbeforeyouclick

7. Think before you click. Do NOT on email or SMS links, even if you think the sender is familiar. Smartphones are just as susceptible to viruses as computers, phishing was the most popular cybercrime in 2020. Phishing is the most common delivery method for ransomware infections, delivering malware to your phone, and, potentially through to your corporate network.

No alt text provided for this image
Beware of free wi-fi

8. Avoid using public or "free" wi-fi networks. Cybercriminals can access and monitor your activity if you connect to one of their seemingly trustworthy, “spoof” networks. Cybercriminals can easy access information transmitted using public wi-fi, do NOT do your banking using public networks. Ideally, use your mobile data when not connected to your own network.

No alt text provided for this image

9. Use a different password for every account you own and don’t save them in your browser. Where possible, turn on Multi-Factor authentication on applications and platforms (i.e. Apple Store, Google Play). Over 60% of passworded are reused and have been exposed in more than one breach. If in doubt, use a password manager rather than a device to help you record and manage unique passwords for every platform and test your password strength before using it.

No alt text provided for this image

10. Always encrypt the data on your phone. Whilst your phone might be locked, criminals can still access your phone’s onboard data storage and information via wireless methods if it is not encrypted. Current versions of Apple iOS or Google Android now have had encryption options available since iOS 3.0 and Android 4.0, and most devices will now ship with encryption turned on by default. This uses your normal PIN or screen lock passphrase/password to protect your data.

Some other additional tricks you may want to consider in securing your device.

Turn on remote tracking in your mobile device settings. Apple users have Find My iPhone, and Android users can enable Find Your Phone Device to see the last known location of the device. Both features allow you to remotely wipe your smartphone’s data if it’s stolen or can’t be retrieved. As a corporation, you can install a Mobile Device Management (MDM) application on corporate owned devices to track and secure end-point devices also.

Finally, NEVER “Root” your Android or “Jailbreak” your iPhone. While it can be "cool" to do so, by doing so you complete access of your device, but in doing so, removes many of the safeguards that the manufacturers have put in place.

Want to secure your end-point devices but are unsure of how? Reach out to the team ASE - Data Management and Connectivity Specialists .

#cybersecurity #mobiledevices #technology #shifthappens #thinkbeforeyouclick



To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Others also viewed

Explore topics