Smartphones have become integral parts of our lives these days and keeping them safe from all kinds of theft has become our priority. As nowadays our phones not only contain games but also our personal and business information. Thus, not keeping our phones securely can lead us into a lot of trouble. However, theft is not always physical, it can also be of any important data or passwords or any other private belonging, and, it is important to protect your phone. Therefore, for keeping your phone safe we have brought you a few tips which you can use in today’s over-sensitive world where hackers sit on the verge of creating cybercrime.
Tips To Protect Your Smartphone:
Being alert can be the prime thing you can do but apart from that there are numerous ways in which you can opt for protecting your smartphone, so let’s take a look:
1. Use Multiple Protection
The first and foremost step which the person needs to keep in mind is using multiple protection. For instance, rather than just using one password for locking your phone, you should also use fingerprint, face ID, and pattern. In addition to this, keep in mind that if you have in-app locks then keep their password different from the main one, so as to protect your private things. Moreover, the passwords should be strong as they tend to provide proper authentication and help in doubling the defense.
2. Use Antivirus
People do not use antivirus in their phones which is quite risky. In order to keep your phone safe, you should use antivirus or security software, as it increases the level of built-in security. Having an antivirus detects any malicious software and keeps your phone safe from any kind of hostile activities. Such security software or antivirus closely monitors all the activities occurring on your device and gives you updates accordingly.
3. Keep Your Phone Locked
Although everyone follows this practice, according to many reports it has been analyzed that people do not lock their phones after using them. Also, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) recommends locking your device when you are not using it. Even if you only step away for a few minutes, that is enough time for someone to steal or destroy your information. Along with that, use strong PINs and passwords to prevent others from accessing your device.
4. Think Before You Connect
It is important that you connect to secured Wi-Fi and beware to connecting any public Wi-Fi hotspot–like on an airplane or in an airport, hotel, train/bus station, or café – be sure to confirm the name of the network and exact login procedures with the appropriate staff to ensure that the network is legitimate. Using your mobile network connection is generally more secure than using a public Wi-Fi network. For more advanced safety you should connect a VPN or virtual private network as it protects your location along with keeping all your information safe from various accessing networks.
5. Keep Your Phone Updated
Treat your mobile device like your home or work computer. Keep your operating system software and apps updated, which will improve your device’s ability to defend against malware. Keeping your OS and apps updated enhances the security of the device and helps in protecting your phone from various exploits. If your phone is not updated then it does not provide notification before downloading any software or application which can be dangerous at times. Updating your devices properly impacts your phone performance and saves your phone from being hacked.
6. Download From Trusted Sources
Our mobile phones contain a lot of personal information, which, if leaked somewhere can cause a lot of problems, therefore, in order to avoid them one must install only trustworthy applications from trustworthy sources. Always make sure that your only download the applications which are available on Google Playstore or Apple Store. Downloading from any website or any illegal place can lead to a lot of trouble. Also, do not miss the security instruction before the download as it provides protection from any malware function.
7. Proper Data Encryption
Data encryption takes time but it is important for protecting your data. If stolen or lost it will keep all your data safe and reduces the risk. The encrypted data is stored in an unreadable form and is not accessible to everyone. Mostly every phone has an encryption setting in the security menu but if you are not able to find it then you can check online. In order to start data encryption in an android mobile phone, you must follow a few steps such as charging your phone up to 80% and before continuing also unroot your phone. Once done go to settings and click on “Security” and choose “Encrypt Phone.” On the other hand, for iOS devices go on settings and click on “Touch ID & Passcode” after this enter your password and scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find “Data Protection is enabled.”
So these were a few tips you can take in order to protect your mobile phones from being hacked or stolen and as long as you follow these tips your phone data will be protected even if the hackers get hold of your phone.
