Do you use a cell phone? Most of us will answer yes to that question. These days a phone is not just for making calls— our phone is also a mini computer we bring with us everywhere. When you think about it, a phone and a computer can do the same things. The biggest difference is that you can put one in your pocket.
There are many benefits to having a cell phone; however, a lot of the security issues and concerns we have with computers also apply to phones. In a way, phones might even be more of a concern than a computer because they go with us everywhere and connect to multiple networks.
What can you do to protect your phone?
- Set up lock screen security. Use something like a PIN number, passcode, password, fingerprint, or face recognition to secure your phone.
- Set a lock screen timeout of just a few minutes at most.
- Lock your phone when you are not using it (this will also save your battery).
- Do not install an application from an unknown source.
- Back up the data on your device. Starting from scratch is never fun, so make sure you back up your device so you can easily restore if needed.
- Install antimalware software to protect your mobile device from viruses, key loggers, phishing websites, and other malicious activity.
- Verify before you click. This refers to text messages, e-mails, social media sites, and websites — anything that has a link. ALWAYS verify everything before clicking, and think before you click.
- Keep your device’s operating system (OS) up-to-date. These updates will not only keep your phone working properly, but also fix any known vulnerabilities within your device’s OS.
