How to secure your cell phone?

Smartphones are vulnerable to various cyber threats. With their built-in GPS, camera and microphone and connectivity to a world of cloud services, they are the best spying devices ever invented. Knowing the extent of the threat they pose can help you protect yourself.

• Always lock your phone: Locking your phone with a strong passcode is one of the easiest ways to protect it from intruders. It’s very important to do this, especially if you misplace, lose, or have your phone stolen. By locking your phone with a passcode, you prevent anyone from physically accessing your phone, which contains all kinds of personal information, such as messages and credit card numbers. It is especially dangerous not to have a passcode on your phone if you have Apple Pay or Google Pay set up, which makes it easy for cyber criminals to make purchases.
• Only download apps from trusted app stores: Downloading apps from trusted app stores is very important for Android users as Android devices are more vulnerable to cyber attacks. The vulnerability was caused by their reliance on open source code, meaning Android users could modify their device’s operating system. If the modifications are too large, the user risks compromising the security of their device. Limit downloads to well-known app stores or branded organizations you know and trust. Trusted app stores include Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
• Set strong, unique passwords for all your accounts: Ensuring that all your accounts have strong passwords is essential for protecting your devices from cybercriminals. By reusing the same password or variation for all your accounts, you expose yourself to a much higher risk of being compromised. You can easily create strong and unique passwords with a password management solution. Password managers allow you to track, store, protect, share and manage all your passwords in a secure digital vault, while only having to remember one password to access the others.
• Back up your data: If hackers break into your phone, your data is at risk of being stolen. Whether it’s a ransomware attack or your data is completely wiped from the phone, you should be able to access it again. Not to mention other circumstances that can wipe your phone data, such as human error, hardware failure, loss or theft of your phone. That’s why it’s important to always back up your data, photos and videos to a secure cloud file storage system. Secure File Storage lets you store all your important files and documents safely in one place. You can easily access it from anywhere and, regardless of what happens to your phone, you will always have access to your data.
• Keep your phone updated: It’s very important to update your phone as soon as a new update is available to keep your phone safe and reliable. This update adds important features, removes bugs, and fixes security vulnerabilities. By ignoring update notifications on your phone, you are putting your cybersecurity at risk. You should always take the time to update your phones and other devices to keep them up to date.
• Don’t click on links in text messages if you don’t know the sender: Phishing attempts are becoming more and more common these days. Therefore, anyone with a cell phone should be vigilant about identifying phishing text messages and emails targeting them. If you receive a text message from a contact you haven’t saved and you’re not sure who they are, be careful not to click on any links or attachments they send. These links and attachments can trigger malware infections and lead to theft of your personal information.
• Try not to use public Wi-Fi: Using public Wi-Fi from any device can threaten your online safety. One of the most common cyberattacks that occur on public Wi-Fi networks is the man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack. MITM attacks involve network manipulation or the creation of malicious networks under the control of cybercriminals. During this type of cyberattack, the attacker tries to intercept data between the people involved. Its main purpose is to intercept the data sent and use it for malicious purposes. Since anyone can connect to a public Wifi network, you don’t know who may be watching and waiting to intercept your data. While public Wi-Fi is useful when traveling or working from a coffee shop, it’s important to be aware of the threat it poses to your online security. Setting strong passwords, using a VPN, and enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) on your phone are essential if you want to use public Wi-Fi safely.

Therefore, you can keep your phone safe by implementing cybersecurity solutions such as password management and paying attention to mobile security vulnerabilities, including using public Wi-Fi.

Photo credit: DR

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