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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Ten Essential Smartphone Security Practices

Be Smart with Securing Your Smartphone

Today, there are more mobile phones than there are laptop and desktop computers.  Our smartphone is like a mini-computer.  We don't just make phone calls anymore.  We surf the internet, check our email, text messages, take pictures, make videos, check Facebook, and much more.  This treasure trove of personal as well as business information is a lucrative temptation for a cyber criminal or data broker.   If you don't want to have your emails, Facebook postings, text messages, and the like pilfered for someone else's profit or potentially used in an exploitive way, then you need to start being smart when it comes to securing your mobile phone.  Below are ten essential security practices you should follow.

Smartphone Security and Privacy Tips
  1. Use a password on your phone to prevent unauthorized access.
  2. Configure your smartphone to auto-lock when not in use.  Your password won't provide protection unless your device is locked.
  3. Turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth when not in use.  Alternatively, place your device in "Airplane" mode. These platforms are essentially open connections to your phone; so if you don’t need to use them, turn them off.
  4. Turn off auto-connect to Wi-Fi networks. There are a lot of unsecured Wi-Fi networks out there, and your phone can automatically connect to any Wi-Fi network that is in range. Only connect to trusted networks.
  5. Download apps from only trusted sources such as the Apple Store or Google Play store.
  6. Check app permissions individually to be aware of what data apps are accessing on your phone.
  7. Perform regular software updates on all apps and your phone’s OS. This patches possible security vulnerabilities (aka backdoors) that can give hackers access to your phone.
  8. Do regular backups of your phone. This will prove helpful in the event that your device gets lost or stolen.
  9. If your device happens to get lost or stolen, make sure you have software that allows you to remotely lock, and if necessary, wipe the data from your phone.
  10. Install mobile security software on your phone as an extra layer of security.

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