Smartphone Security! The days of mobile phones offering nothing more than calls, texting and quirky ring tones are long gone.
These days, people have smartphones – meaning they are smart enough to play media, access the Internet, send emails and store vital personal data. And it’s for these reasons that loss, theft or damage of one’s smartphone can oftentimes be devastating.
Smartphone users may not always be able to prevent theft, loss or damage, but there are steps they can take to mitigate risk and minimize fallout. Here are just a few guidelines all modern mobile users should adhere to when considering smartphone security or safety.
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Smartphone Security Tips 2013
Avoid jailbreaking/rooting a smartphone
Android and Apple use different terminology to describe the process of circumventing the operating system’s security measures. With Android, it is called rooting; with Apple, jailbreaking. Most people perform this procedure in order to install apps or features the phone otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
And unlike the process of unlocking, jailbreaking is still legal. But just because it’s legal doesn’t make it good for the mobile device. Jailbreaking can leave an iPhone wide open for malicious apps as well as disable the unit’s more advanced security features.
Monitor app permissions
It’s important for smartphone users to be diligent about checking app-permission requests thoroughly. Not every mobile app needs to access the user’s contact list. And handing out these permissions haphazardly to any app that requests is is a good way to compromise smartphone security.
Update constantly for smartphone security
It may seem like a pain, but updating a smartphone on a regular basis is a great way to keep it operating at peak performance. Also, many of these updates are smartphone security tweaks that can go a long way to protecting the device.
Avoid Wi-Fi hotspots when possible
This may also seem like an inconvenience, but unencrypted Wi-Fi networks are, simply put, unsafe. If a network doesn’t require a password that means other people can intercept the data a single person is sending or receiving.
Those who absolutely must use Wi-FI hots spots can ensure smartphone security by using a HotSpot Shield, which will protect the information on the device.
Install a remote-security app
These days, there is absolutely no reason to let a thief get away with stealing a smartphone, especially when technology is so great. And I am sure that you know importance of Security Apps for smartphone.
There are plenty of great remote-security mobile apps on the market that can do everything from track a stolen mobile to remotely lock the device. You can even take a photo of the criminal with the unit’s built-in camera. Locate My Droid and Find My iPhone are two good options.
Utilize anti-malware apps
Unlike remote-security apps, most anti-malware apps cost money. That said, when the alternative is a system crash caused by a rogue app, it is money well spent. The good news is that certain apps, such as Lookout and Bitdefender, offer free lite versions.
By taking these Smartphone Security Tips to heart, there is no reason smartphone users ever need to be plagued by crippling data loss or compromised smartphone security. Because while certain things may be inevitable in this world, mobile device tragedy needn’t be among them.