Today, we will share ten tips to help you secure your smartphone, whether it’s iOS or Android.
You’ve probably read many articles on how to secure and protect your Smartphones from hackers; however, for reasons best known to them, many people donât mind all that much about smartphone security.
Possibly on the grounds that it’s not like a hard drive where you store all your documents, pictures, videos, apps, and so on, yet, the present hyperactive smartphone users store a lot of data that is very sensitive and that hackers would readily exploit while you’re surfing the web.
Fortunately, smartphone security is gaining momentum, and there are several steps you can take to help secure your Smartphone from being hacked.
Table of Contents
10 Tips To Secure Your Smartphones
Here are the tips to take in order to secure your smartphones from hackers:
1. Make Use of a VPN
A VPN is an online tool that masks your online identity. With a reliable VPN service provider, your actual location can be obfuscated, thereby preventing online snoopers or ISPs from blocking you on the internet. Besides that, you can unblock websites or online services that are geo-restricted.
Recommended VPN service providers for smartphones include CyberGhost VPN, PIA, SurfShark, PureVPN, and TunnelBear VPN.
2. Lock your Smartphone
Of course, itâs easy to keep your Smartphone open constantly so you can easily get to your email, camera, apps, etc. However, think of how you will feel if someone picks up your Smartphone in your office or in a neighborhood and could simply tap on your business applications, contacts, documents, or your banking data.
In a case where your Smartphone contains customer data, you could even wind up in the humiliating situation of having to tell your customers that their data has been compromised, essentially due to carelessness.
READ ALSO: 5 Secure Online Payment Services to Consider
3. Use Mobile device management (Small Business style)
If your work Smartphone gets lost or taken, you can contain the damage by utilizing basic Smartphone features. Both Apple and Google offer âfind my device services’, for example, Find My iPhone and Android’s Find My Device, that can find your Smartphone on a map and automatically locate it.
These features can also make your Smartphone ring, either disturbing the thief or simply reminding you about a smartphone you have just forgotten about. You can even command the smartphone to erase all data after five to 10 bogus password attempts.
Related: Urgent: Android users warned to delete these Vicious Apps from their devices
4. Mind where you connect to Wi-Fi
The vast majority don’t think before hopping on a free open Wi-Fi connection; however, people using smartphones with touchy business data on them should be mindful of the Wi-Fi they use. Business explorers frequently use a hotel or conference center Wi-Fi.
Although this is an acceptable practice, organizations like well-known hotels and conference centers have a vested interest in maintaining the security of their Wi-Fi services. However, free open Wi-Fi in regions like malls, bistros, airports, parks, or exercise centers (gym), is far less secure.
5. Use two-factor authentication where necessary
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is one of the best security alternatives available in light of recent developments. As the name implies, it requires additional confirmation.
However, it offers another strong security layer to access your private data, and two-factor authentication is now much simpler to use (thanks to the invention of biometric scanners and save passcode features) than it used to be. Check out Google’s procedure for turning on two-factor authentication.
READ ALSO: 5 Reliable Ways to Backup your Android Device and Tips to Secure it
6. Set up A Backup Of Your Data to secure your phone
Another tip to secure your smartphone is to have a strong backup. Picture the most imaginable outcome where your Android or iOS Smartphone authentication where hacked. The exact opposite action is to perform a remote wipe (see #10). Without a backup, you will lose all your data on your Smartphone.
Regardless of whether you can recover your stolen Smartphone, the odds are that the hoodlums might have figured out how to access it, which will render it useless. However, if you have your files backed up, you can restore your Android or iOS smartphone to its original state. You can decide to back up your data to the Cloud, Google Drive, or even to your computer, for protection.
7. Use an App Instead of the Browser
If you’re doing mobile banking on your Smartphone or forex trading, or any other activity that requires confidential data to be exchanged between your Smartphone and the Internet, it’s best to use an official application for that website or company, rather than using your mobile browser.
For instance, your online banking, sending Bulk SMS (you’re exposing your audience’s contacts and the message content), Upwork, Fiverr, ScottTrade. Including many other large companies that have their own applications for iOS and Android. Secure connections are held up on smartphone browsers. However, your data will be safer if you use a website app that offers additional security features.
READ ALSO: How to Securely Send Sensitive Information Over the Internet
8. Ensure you turn off Bluetooth when not in use
Bluetooth isn’t seen as a risk, as it has a relatively short range (approximately 10 meters). However, hackers and cybercriminals have been known to remotely access people’s Smartphones if they connect to them.
Make sure you turn off the Bluetooth when you’re not using it. Set the Bluetooth setup to ‘non-discoverable’, so that people looking for nearby Bluetooth connections can’t see yours.
Any obscure request that springs up through Bluetooth connections. For example, an offer to ‘pair with another phone’ should be overlooked or declined. A hacker in range could access your Smartphone through Bluetooth if it’s not secure.
9. Be mindful of downloadsÂ
The expansion in malware on Smartphones does increase. Be mindful when downloading applications. Therefore, focus on the permissions any App requires when you are downloading and installing. It tends to be extremely easy to get the app ready for use without looking at its requirements and permissions.
However, be cautious about any permissions that the app asks you to grant, so you wonât permit the app to override your encryption and security, especially if the app isn’t reputable.
10. Be cautious when using web browsers
Be cautious when using an internet browser on your Smartphone. You may click ‘OK’ to any message that appears while you are on the web. For instance, agreeing to save your details and passwords may make it easier to recall them at a later time. However, others can also access these sites without entering a password if they access your Smartphone.
Ensure you take a close look at the URL and verify that the ‘HTTP’ has an ‘s’ at the end. This guarantees that the URL you are about to tap on is secure, thereby also securing your smartphone. We likewise suggest that you check for any spelling errors in the URL.
Bottom Line
You are now at the point where you have everything installed and all set. However, in everything, you need one last feature. This feature will enhance all other features in securing your Smartphones.
It is the ability for you to wipe your Android or iOS device remotely. This is fundamental, especially when you’re sure that you can’t get your Smartphone again. There’s no need to worry about it again â we can just keep them from accessing our data.
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