It’s difficult to think of anything that holds more
personal information than your smartphone. Yet, few of us can
honestly say we’ve never dropped it, or left it in a taxi or coffee
shop. And when we do, the only thing safeguarding all that
sensitive data is likely a four-digit passcode or a simple unlock
pattern.
The good news is that there are some simple painless steps you can
take to make your mobile safer. So what are they?
Use better
passwords
Far too many passwords are too easy to guess: 1234 anyone? Picking
something less obvious, and using different passwords for different
accounts, makes them much harder to break. Even better, try the new
Account Key feature on the new Yahoo Mail app, which does away with passwords
altogether in favour of push notifications. That means you no
longer need to remember your login details, removing the temptation
to pick something easy to remember and therefore easy to crack.
Be wary of
Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi may seem like mana from heaven, but think
before you log on. Fraudsters often set up official sounding Wi-Fi
networks – a name similar to the coffee shop you’re in for example
- but you may get more than just a free connection. Fraudsters can
use it to monitor the information you’re sending – log on to your
internet banking and they could potentially steal that information.
So you should only use public Wi-Fi if you’re confident the network
is legitimate. Even then, it’s best not to send really sensitive
information.
Plug leaky
apps
You should only download apps from the app store as these are more
trustworthy than the ones available elsewhere. But that doesn’t
mean you should take it for granted that they’re safe. Read the
reviews to make sure it’s credible and pay attention to what
information it requests when you install it – does that new alarm
clock app really need access to your camera, call logs, contacts
and pretty much anything else on your phone? If you’re not
comfortable, then don’t accept.
Think before you
click
Maybe it’s because mobile viruses and malware are relatively new,
or because smaller screens make it harder to see what you’re doing,
but people are much more likely to click suspicious links on their
phone than PC – one survey had it at three times more likely. So be
wary of links sent from suspicious sources and, if you must click
it, think twice before entering any personal details. And as
always, if it’s promising you money or claiming you’ve won a
lottery you never entered… well, you know where this is going.
Turn off automatic
connections
When your phone is probing for networks, it’s giving off data (and
wasting your battery life), so don’t wander around with your Wi-Fi
connection turned on. It’s also a good idea to tell your phone to
forget networks you no longer use to minimise the chances of it
logging on without you realising. The same also goes for Bluetooth
connections - it’s a great bit of tech, but it does leave the
door open for fraudsters. Only pair with devices you recognise, and
switch off when not in use.
So there you have it. With just a few simple steps – and a
bit of common sense – you can make your phone much safer.
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