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.