Toll Free: 877-379-8279Securing Your Cell Phone
News / By Scott M. Lewis, President / CEO Winning Technologies Inc
News / By Scott M. Lewis, President / CEO Winning Technologies Inc
Cell phone technology has improved rapidly and the features and functionality of smart phones have reached into all our daily lives, from keep track of our calendars, meetings, phone numbers, email and much more. However one thing that is often overlooked is how vulnerable cell phones and smart phones are considering the information that is stored on them. Securing these devices is important from a corporate data security perspective, but also from a personal aspect of identity theft protection.
When it comes to securing your cell phone you have to really start thinking of it as a small portable computer which is basically what it is. Just as you would your computer you have to know the applications you are loading are secure. In the smart phone world it is nearly impossible to know the difference between a good app and a bad app, there are so many people writing these apps there is no way to measure the quality of an individual app. So you are going to be putting yourself and your privacy at increased risk with the more apps you load. The only real protection you have is to check app ratings and reading user reviews prior to downloading an app, and only download apps from trusted sites like ITunes, Amazon or Droid Marketplace.
Use basic security protection by making sure that you have a password set on your phone. This will make it harder for someone to simply pick up your phone and start using it or viewing emails and contact lists. It will also give you a window of opportunity to report your smart phone as stolen prior to someone actually breaking into your phone and running up you bill.
As you would with your computer make sure that you know who is emailing you, and do not click on links that are suspicious. If you get an email or have an app with a link attached, don't click on it, you never know what information the link is going to gather and send it out over the internet. This is a very common and easy way to capture information about you which in turn opens you up for identity theft.
Yes…there is such a thing as Spyware for your smart phones, and yes they do put you at risk. If you don't have a password on your phone you could end up with Spyware, which can allow people to track your movements, phone usage, text messages, banking activity and much more. Android Market and ITunes offer mobile security apps that that will protect your smart phone from spyware.
Here are some suggestions on how to protect yourself and the data on your phone. First make sure that you have a password on your phone, it seems silly but it is the first layer of security and protection for yourself. Don't have internet browsers remember your username and passwords. If you are using your smart phone to access bank accounts, pay bills, access social networking sites then having the browser remember your username and password is an open gate to your life. Both Android and ITunes offer lockout applications that allow you to track your phone if it is ever lost or stolen. You should load Spyware and virus app on your phone to keep it working properly and to protect you from unwanted hackers.
It's very important to treat and protect your smart phone like a computer because millions of smart phones are lost or stolen each year in the United States. There has been a lot made of the cell phone hacking in the UK, and the information that was accessed or stolen should open our eyes to how vulnerable smart phones are. With as much personal data as we store on our phones, it shows how easy it is for someone to access that information and the need to make sure that we are properly securing those devices.
