Mobile Phone Security Has Become Just As Important as PC Protection

Protect your SmartphoneHello everyone, how are you all doing today? I hope you are all having a great week so far. I have been relaxing and busy making sure our new Oxavi Group headquarters looks comfy, cushy and welcoming for our staff members and customers that choose to come pay us a visit! Anyway, please read on.

Today we will talk about Cell phone security, even if you have an iPhone, it doesn’t mean you are safe Remember the times where all you had to worry about was protecting the information on your desktop or laptop? You know, when we used our cell phones for nothing more than sending text messages and making phone calls? Well now, we use our mobile phones just as much if not more than we do our computers, leaving us vulnerable to all types of security risks.

Increased Mobile Phone Use = Increased Security

While you should certainly still be taking precautions with your computers such as downloading the latest virus protection programs and utilizing external hard drives such as encrypted USB flash drives from Secure USB, you should also be taking precaution with your mobile phones. Think about it. The average person uses their cell phone for:

  • Making calls
  • Sending text messages
  • Reading and sending emails
  • Storing documents, photos, and files
  • Creating videos
  • Accessing financial accounts
  • Accessing password protected accounts like social media
  • Shopping
  • Entering personal information (contact, payment info, etc.)
  • Conducting business

When you look at all the ways you utilize your mobile phone now and associate that with the data that’s being entered and accessed by your phones, it’s kind of scary. A hacker or thief could easily steal your identity, overdraw your accounts, and hack the email or social media accounts of all your close friends and relatives with the click of a few buttons. That’s why mobile phone security is becoming increasingly popular.

Ways to Protect Your Smartphone Data

Rather than wait for your personal information to be compromised, it’s a good idea to get on top of things now. While nothing is fool proof when it comes to technology and securing data, there are some measures you could take now that will minimize the risks of your information begin hacked. Here’s a few you should start implementing:

1.  Download Smartphone Anti-Virus Apps

Just as you would for your computer, it is important that you download a virus protection application for your smartphone. These are typically free of charge, but will give you top of the line protection from hackers, viruses, malware, and spyware. Once you download the software to your phone, make sure that you keep it up to date as new security threats are being created daily.

2.  Use Good Passwords

It’s probably not a good idea to create a password for your mobile phone that anyone can guess. The idea is to keep people out of the phone. Therefore, as you’re setting up security features on your phone, make sure that you create a password that is not easy for others to figure out. While you don’t want to make it too hard for yourself to remember, throwing in a few numbers, symbols, and punctuation marks can make all the difference in the world.

3.  Be Mindful of Where You Check Personal Accounts

Public Wi-Fi is free and often an attraction for smartphone users who are trying to save on their data plans. Be that as it may, since they are open to the public, there is a high possibility that someone can access your information without you even knowing it. Therefore, if you’re going to use public Wi-Fi connections, you should refrain from accessing personal accounts such as your bank, social media, or other password protected accounts.

4.  Ask Your Mobile Service Provider About Extra Protections

Companies like Apple understand the importance of keeping your phone data safe. As such, they often have services or features that their subscribers can access for multi-layer protection. For instance, Apple mobile phone holders who have an operating system iOS 9 or higher are required to enter their passcodes more than once before they can access certain information. While this may seem like more of an annoyance than anything, it does prevent thieves and hackers from getting to information you want to keep secure. So talk with your mobile provider to find out what other steps you can take to keep your phone data safe.

5.  Watch Where You Shop

When accessing e-commerce sites from your mobile phone, make sure that you’re accessing a trusted vendor. Entering personal information into a suspicious site could end up resulting in your accounts being drained or your personal information used without your permission. If you’re not sure that the site is safe, it is probably best to avoid it.

As you rely more and more on your mobile phones for functions that your computers were once used for, it is imperative that you protect yourself and your personal information. By taking heed to the above mentioned advice and applying security measures of your own, you can decrease the possibilities of having your information compromised, causing a whirlwind of drama.