How to Make Your Smartphone More Secure?
You really need to make your smartphone more secure. The increasing usage of smartphones has created a necessity to safeguard the security and privacy of users. Today companies rely heavily on smartphones for storing sensitive information and use it for a range of commercial operations such as customer relations, advertising, marketing, banking, etc. Smartphones have become repositories of valuable data which are vulnerable to attacks from hackers and other kinds of malware.
Thus, it’s vital to protect your valuable data by adopting suitable security measures and enhancing smartphone security.
Here are a few different ways that we’ve shared for enhancing the security of your smartphones:
Enhance your password settings
The first thing that you need to do is to ensure that you have a strong password which can withstand the attempts made by humans or computers to crack them. In both Android and iPhone, you have the option of setting up long passwords than the one which was chosen during the time of setup.
It’s highly recommended to create a password which is long and complicated and uses a different type of characters. Use strong passwords that are unique and difficult to guess by anyone.
If possible, put passwords for individual apps and use a PIN lock for your SIM card so that others may not be able to use your SIM on a different phone. These days, phones also come with pattern lock, which is in the form of personalized pattern or shape is drawn on the screen to provide access and are more effective than passwords.
Use safe encryption methods
Encryption can be a valuable way to protect your confidential information as it makes your content unreadable by anyone who doesn’t have access to the private key required for decryption.
Unlike iPhones where encryption is set up automatically, Android phones need to be encrypted manually.
Use strong passwords and make sure to back up your relevant data and keep the phone charged to complete the encryption process.
Browse Carefully
When you browse any website, make sure there should be HTTPS, which is showing after installation of SSL certificate.
After Google’s update, many website holders are approaching for SSL certificate thus, they become aware of customers’ security. Even developers are also using SSL certificate when they make their application.
If you browse a website with HTTP, there may be chances that you may caught in phishing tactics. So, always browse https sites and stay safe.
Use software for protecting internal storage
It’s not enough to prevent someone from trying to turn on your phone as it’s easy to retrieve the data by plugging it to the computer or even removing the microSD card. On the other hand, it’s essential to protect sensitive information that may be saved on to your internal storage.
There are many smartphone platforms available today that provide software which may be used to encrypt files or folders across a device using specific industry grade protection. It may require a code that needs to be entered before opening the file or application which may be applied even for passwords, account numbers, login details, etc.
Turn off your location tracking
Location logs can reveal lots of personal information about where you live, whom you visit, and these can be tracked easily. It may not be possible to keep your personal information private fully, but you can take a few steps to ensure access to authorized users. It’s best to switch off wi-fi and Bluetooth, especially when they are not in use. You may also turn off the location function on your phone as it can disable specific app functions.
Keep your browser safe
Most browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, and Safari will allow you to switch over to private browsing mode, which can help in preventing leakage of information.
Use privacy-protecting search engines which do not gather your personal information or history. It’s also recommended to clear your browser history as this information may be collected by companies using specific types of web browsers.
Manage your app permissions carefully
Many applications collect information or data directly from your users or customers while others gather information to create customer profiles for buying their products or services. It is essential to be careful before installing any app as they may be used to collect data or seek permissions to access your personal information.
For applications that you wish to keep, it may be essential to control permissions for them to ensure the privacy and safety of your personal information.
Use security software for your phone
Most of the security software may be used to address the core issues associated with smartphones and provide customized solutions for them.
Apart from providing standard malware and firewall protection, they have GPS capabilities which can track the location of your device if it’s stolen or lost somewhere. It’s even possible to lock a device remotely if the phone has been misplaced.
Conclusion
It is essential for users to be aware of the potential pitfalls of using the smartphones and take necessary steps to safeguard the security of their vital data and information which may be otherwise targeted by hackers.