Discovering that your intimate conversations, pictures or
texts have been splattered across the Internet for all to see is not only an
invasion of privacy, but can also be damaging to your personal life and
livelihood. Although numerous politicians and celebrities have fallen victim to
having their cellphone hacked, you have the opportunity right now to protect
yourself from such hackers. This article contains information that will help to
prepare you so that you can protect yourself and your loved ones from being the
next victims of a cell phone fraud scandal or the victims of having your
privacy invaded by hackers.
Protect Your Smartphone From Hackers
What is a smartphone? It means different things to different
people, but it’s any mobile phone that
can browse the web, send and receive emails and text messages, and can use
applications from third-party.
The Opportunity for Hackers
An estimate from The Wall Street Journal states that almost
160 million smartphones were sold in the last
year and it’s a huge target for those who would hack our smartphone.
What the Hackers doing.
smartphone hackers use the same basic tactics that they use
to extract information from PCs.
What You Can Do ?
Beware. Be as careful in how you use your smartphone as you
are when you use your PC.
Don’t open email if you don’t know the sender. If any sender
asks you to provide sensitive information, don’t. If such a request seems to be
from a business you know, use your browser to go to their website or a phone to
call the business.
Don’t answer text messages that ask for personal
information. Again, if you think it might be legitimate, contact the purported
sender by other means.
Delete spam. Don’t answer it, ever.
Turn off Bluetooth when you’re not using it. Also, turn it
off when you are speaking or entering sensitive information into your
smartphone.
Buy protection. Just as you should always secure your PC
with up-to-date Internet security software, you should protect your smartphone
with smartphone security software to protect your smartphone against the latest
security threats.
Android is most hacked mobile OS: Here's how to protect your
phone
The report also states that not only is Android the market
leader in Mobile OS but the most attacked as well. The number of malware types
has also increased. The report points out that in 2010 there were only three
families of Malware for Android, this had increased to 51 families reported in
2011; 63 families reported in 2012; and 79 as of October 2013.
Android controls nearly 80 percents of the smartphone
market, the spam and malware problem needs to be taken seriously. So what can
users do to protect their mobile phones? Here are some tips.
• Lock your screen with a Pin or password:
• Protect apps: Install ‘App Lock’ to protect individual
apps
• Be careful while sharing.
• Store the sensitive data in the internal memory with
strong password.
• Encrypting your phone WILL slow it down, but it will keep
your data safe
• Rooting devices cutoff many securities.
• Read the permissions and TC of every software while you
are installing.
• Extremely careful while making mobile payments
Simple tips to protect your smartphone from hackers
It only takes seconds for crooks to hack into your phone,
but there are simple things you can do right now that will protect your phone
from hackers, thieves and even advertisers.
Go to your phone’s security settings and turn off the
“simple passcode.” This option allows you to incorporate keyboard symbols into
your passcode without a limit on length which makes it a lot harder for thieves
to get into your phone if it’s stolen.
Advertisers can easily gain access to your phone by using
your apps like doorways into your personal information, but theft is only part
of the problem.
If you go to settings, then privacy, then advertising —
there are a couple of things you can do to protect yourself. You can limit the
ad tracking and you can reset the advertising identifier. Think of it as
putting your phone in the witness protection program. The new ID makes it
harder for outside applications to find.
Also, beware downloading third-party apps. Hackers like to
download malware through them, so always be sure to verify your apps. Google
has a verify apps feature for Android phones, so you can keep your personal
info to yourself.
Adopt a proactive protection mindset.
Don't share passwords with anyone else.
Don't share your phone passwords with anyone at work
Don't program passwords into your cell phone
Don’t keep private data in your phone for a long period
Strengthening passwords.
Password protect your voicemail
Choose a password that is hard to guess
Avoid using obvious passwords like birthdays, anniversaries
or consecutive number sequences
Don’t use the same password for all your phone
Create a password update schedule. Whether it’s weekly,
monthly or quarterly.
If you have Bluetooth enabled, make sure 'Discoverable'
mode is disabled.
Install mobile security software if your phone supports it.
Remember to protect the settings of the security app with
its own password if it has that feature.
Do not click on links in emails from a sender whom you do
not trust for this can give them personal information about you.
Click Here To Download in pdf.
Click Here To Download in pdf.