As you will have heard (several times since the original announcement) the planned transition by BT to phase out its traditional analogue
9 Ways to Protect Your Device & Your Data
One-tap and your shopping has been paid for, your Uber is on its way, your oven is on, and your front door is unlocked. From home security to your savings account, and from confidential work emails to private family photos, smartphones can be a one-touch doorway into virtually every corner of our lives. With so much personal information in one mobile device, it’s a no-brainer to make sure your smartphone is safe from hackers and thieves.
Not only are nearly 900 phones stolen every day in the UK, but according to research, approximately 50% of calls to your mobile will be a scam call, and more than 24,000 malicious apps are blocked from app stores every day. Your smartphone is a top target from criminals, but our 9-step guide can help you protect your device and your data.
1. Lock It Up
It’s one of the simplest steps you can take to protect your data and make your phone less appealing to thieves; make sure your phone needs a PIN or passcode to unlock it. Biometric locks (face and fingerprint) are great, but make sure they’re not the only lock you have. Ensure any apps on the device that can potentially access sensitive or secure data are also PIN or password protected.
2. Shut It Down
When you’re not using your device, make sure it switches off quickly after a period of inactivity. An unlocked device on a café table is a favourite for sneaky snatchers. While you’re checking your lock settings, think twice about what information your lock screen displays. If yours displays the content of messages, it might be showing more than you want it to.
3. Choose Apps Carefully
Apps are one of the most common causes of data breaches and viruses on smartphones. Only download apps from official app stores, and even then, double check how safe it is by looking at reviews and to see if it’s app-store approved.
4. Update Your OS
Hackers don’t sleep and they’re constantly looking for vulnerabilities in a smartphone’s operating system. Whether you’re an Android or Apple user make sure your OS is up to date for the best security.
5. Check App Permissions
From knowing exactly where you are to taking control of your camera and your microphone, apps have the potential to be exploited by people with nefarious intent. Limit the number of permissions apps have, and if you don’t like how many permissions an app has, reduce the permissions or remove the app. Enable the ‘only when I’m using the app’ setting to limit what apps can do in the background.
6. Stay Away from Public Wi-Fi
Free public Wi-Fi is a popular hangout for criminals targeting vulnerable devices. Only use Wi-Fi networks you know and trust.
7. Know Where Your Phone Is
Both Android and Apple have built-in apps to find your device, whether it’s just been misplaced, or someone has walked off with it. Make sure the ‘find my’ app is on and that you know how to use it. Not only can it help with device recovery, but it can also allow you to remotely lock or even wipe your device.
8. Use 2FA
Two factor authentication means you’ll have to put in a time-sensitive code (often sent via a message or generated via an app) as well as your password to access an account. One of the most important accounts to have 2FA on is your email account. An attacker that can access your Gmail account for example, can often access a variety of other accounts using those same credentials. Having 2FA setup will reduce the risk.
9. Manage Your Passwords
Remembering dozens of passwords for multiple accounts might seem like an impossible task but using the same password for different accounts is smartphone-suicide.
If that one password is the result of a data breach all your accounts now become vulnerable. Use a password manager to generate complex passwords that are hard to copy, and to store them securely.
Smart phones are here to stay, make sure you stay secure by being Smartphone Safe. For further ways to keep your business secure, to find out more about our Flexible Business Mobile Solutions or to discuss ways to update your communications, contact NT today: 01623 687750
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