The demand for smartphones and multi media contents has recently seen a tremendous surge across the world, resulting in lesser PC shipments. According to recent reports, people claim more than forty-percent of internet time on smartphones, and with the introduction of new technologies and better phones, there’s no doubt the rate will increase even further. With this growing use of smartphones, nowadays even many organizations are permitting their employees to access and carry confidential corporate data on personal devices. However, most of the times it happens without any security guidelines. This, alongside the fact that most of the smartphones nowadays are as powerful as computers, has made them an attractive proposition for cyber criminals. According to a recent report, most of the mobile network operators are not at all aware of the situation, that what percent of the subscriber devices on networks are participating in the malicious activity. This has eventually made mobile devices vulnerable to cyber-attacks, leading to the leakage of confidential data now` hackers can do more with a smartphone, gone are those days when they used to spam contact lists or spam the home screen with advertisements. Now they can turn smartphones into a spying tool by taking over the camera or the microphone in order to capture data. Confused and worried already? Don’t be, here we are listing out few pointers so that you can stay safe from the cyber-crimes.
Always lock your phone when it is not in use. It’s better to change the password and the patterns of your phone regularly, to prevent anyone from guessing it. If your phone is equipped with facial recognition feature or fingerprint sensor, then it would be a better choice to enable them rather than using old school security methods. As these options make sure that no one can unlock your phone in your absence.
Update your phone’s firmware regularly. Always make sure to buy a phone which gets OS updates regularly, prompting manufacturers to sort out any security glitches. Most of the modern-day smartphones can download updates automatically. However, if you have turned the option off, then you must religiously manually check for updates regularly.
Activating smart phone’s tracker is a very good idea. In case your phone has been stolen or misplaced, then you can use this feature to wipe all the important information. Which will make sure that your data can not be used with out your authorization.
Avoid clicking on links in messages from unknown sources and always delete them. Several times hackers send messages that might look like from your bank or a trusted source. However, if you click on the message, the hacker can steal data from your phone. Additionally, never download apps from text messages as it is a very old way of infecting devices.
Always access the internet only from secured Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi networks that are not secured always attract hackers to intercept transmitted data. Don’t ever do any shopping or banking related work on a public Wi-Fi network as hackers can easily intercept the details and can use them. Additionally, IM and other apps can be a threat too, as hackers can leverage the security holes in them and can get access to your data. So, it’s better to use data instead of open Wi-Fi.
Most modern smart phones now support storage encryption, and some of them can encrypt storage even without the knowledge of the user. It is important to encrypt the storage of your phone manually if it doesn’t support automatic encryption. Encrypting storage helps to protect your data in case your device is lost or stolen.
So, here were few pointers you should keep in mind while using your smartphone. These can help you to stay safe from most of the cyber-attacks. Other than all these mentioned processes you must take a few steps to stay away from phishing scams, among which, always keep the auto wipe system on after a set number of password attempts. Never ever jailbreak or root your device, as malware can infiltrate rooted and jailbroken devices easily. Buy apps from trusted source and beware of free download offers. If you are using an Android device, then you must use an anti-virus app, as it can protect you from malware that can come while downloading an app.
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