With the invention of smartphones, nobody complains about not getting letters or messages from their near and dear ones. In fact, it has changed the lives of people radically. The smartphones of today come with so many functionalities. Most of the businesses of today make good use of smartphones because of its evolving technology. Since it is such an integral part of our lives both personally and professionally, we need to keep it secure. Here, we will find out all about mobile phone security, and why you need it.
The mobile devices of today are not just pocket phones. These devices also act as a data storage device, a networked computer, and a navigational device. It is also beneficial for sound and video recording. People also use it as a social networking hub, a mobile bank, and even as a photo gallery.
With so many functions, your mobile phone is highly appealing to many hackers and malicious actors. More than 50% of businesses and the internet of things (IoT) are through mobiles nowadays. So, it causes new challenges to its security.
Everybody needs to take some simple steps to ensure the security of the device. Your mobile phone security requires a multi-layered and unified approach. This post helps you to know the importance of mobile security and how to secure your mobile devices.
Table of Contents
What is mobile phone security?
People heavily rely on mobile phones these days due to its portability and technology advancements. These devices come with many increased functionalities, carry out several day-to-day activities. You may use your mobile phone to surfing the net, instant messaging, sharing files, booking appointments, video calling, and even for digital banking.
Apart from all these functionalities, mobile phones are susceptible to online threats. Its portability also makes it vulnerable to physical attacks. So mobile security issues are high these days, and each user needs to take protective measures.
Mobile security, also known as wireless security, means the protection of your mobile devices from vulnerabilities and threats. Mobile devices include smartphones, laptops, tablets, and portable devices for computing. Apart from these devices, the networks they connect also come under wireless security.
Advantages of smartphones
Before explaining mobile security threats, you must get an understanding of the advantages of having a smartphone. From this, you will get an idea of why hackers and cyber criminals hack data and make security issues. It also helps you to understand the importance of mobile phone security.
Nowadays, smartphones have changed the lives of people dramatically. Before the arrival of smartphones, you need to take extra efforts to take pictures or sending messages. But, sending messages to your dear and near ones is pretty easy with a smartphone. You can also take amazing pictures without using a camera if you have such a phone with you. Take a look at the advantages of having a smartphone.
1. Instant communication
If you see the old phones, you will realize that smartphones have evolved tremendously from early mobile devices. The main use of a phone is to improve communication with each other. Advanced smartphone technology helps people to communicate in a better way. They can communicate through text messages, SMS, video chat, calls, and apps.
2. Easy web access
People can conveniently surf the web with the help of a smartphone instead of using a computer or laptop. Integrated with mobile browsers, you can access websites anytime and from anywhere with the help of a smartphone. This helps users with easy access to information.
3. Camera facility
There is no need to buy a separate camera if you own a smartphone. The new generation loves to take a selfie and post them on social media platforms. Having a smartphone is a good option for them to take pictures. In fact, the camera is one of the most important consideration factors for buying a smartphone for many people.
Why mobile security is important?
Securing your mobile devices is very important in recent years for many reasons. The use of smartphones and the number of mobile devices in operation are increased dramatically in recent years. IT consumerization is a current trend within enterprises that encourages more and more employees to own mobile devices. They connect the corporate network to their laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
When it comes to mobile phone security, the top concern is the device loss. Application security is the next main concern when it comes to mobile devices. Many people worry about data leakage from the device. Malware attacks are also a prime concern when it comes to phone security.
Main mobile security threats
Every company worries about mobile security because many employees access corporate data from their smartphones. Keeping sensitive information on your mobile phone is certainly risky because it can reach the wrong hands if not secured properly. Take a look at the common mobile security threats:
1. Device loss
The top concern when it comes to a mobile security threat is the loss of the device. If the device is lost or leaves somewhere, the sensitive data inside your smartphone or tablet can reach the wrong hands. Such incidents lead to many data breaches in the past.
2. Data leakage
It is another worrisome threats related to mobile phone security. Most of the data theft and loss to mobile malware and malicious applications are because of data leakage. Since many employees keep corporate data on their mobile devices, it attracts more cybercriminals. They can target the device and the back-end systems with the help of mobile malware.
3. Unsecured WiFi
Everybody prefers to use free Wi-Fi networks instead of burning their cellular data to access websites and other important information. They do not think that using public Wi-Fi is unsecured and can make the loss of their personal information. Avoid using free Wi-Fi to access personal or confidential services like credit card or banking information.
4. Phishing attacks
People never prefer to switch off their personal phones, and most of the devices powered-on always. It makes the device more vulnerable to phishing attacks. Phishing threats come in the form of text or SMS messages. Most of them trick users for revealing their passwords. Hackers use SMishing to steal both enterprise and personal data.
5. Cryptojacking
This is another fast-growing mobile threat. Hackers or cyber criminals use another person’s smart device to mine cryptocurrency using malicious mining apps without his knowledge.
Why it is important to up-to-date the OS of your mobile phone?
You can improve the phone experience by updating its operating system. Ensure to download and install right away whenever release an update. This would help you to protect your phone from data hacking. Most of these updates are helpful for vulnerability patches, fixing security issues, and other maintenance purposes.
Whenever a notification on updates, phone users quickly clicks it or asks to remind it later. However, you must understand the importance of updating the operating system to ensure the security of your mobile phone. Such updates are beneficial to protect both Android and iOS phones from newly discovered mobile security issues.
How encrypted data protect your mobile phone data?
Many people use their smartphones to store data. But, all those data include your valuable financial information at risk if your mobile phone is lost or stolen. In such cases, you can protect the data on your mobile if it is encrypted. Encrypted data store on your mobile phone in an unreadable form to make it safe.
You can enable the encryption settings in the security menu to make your phone data encrypted. Most phones have the facility to encrypt mobile data. You can check if your iOS device is encrypted or not by clicking on the ‘Touch ID & Passcode’ from its settings menu.
If you have an Android phone, your mobile phone must be 80% charged in order to encrypt the data. Make sure to unroot the device before encrypting it. Then go the ‘security’ to choose the ‘Encrypt Phone’ to do the process. It may take an hour or more to completing the encrypting process.
Why it is important to beware of downloads?
In order to ensure your mobile phone security, you must download apps only from official app stores. Hackers and cyber criminals make fake mobile apps to get confidential information from users. Before downloading an app, look at the reviews available on the internet about the product.
Malware developers develop rogue apps and put up them on third-party sites. They know that some inexperienced will download such apps from those sites. So, try to download apps for your mobile phone only from reliable sites. If you own an iPhone, you can download apps from an Apple App Store. You can download it from a Google Play Store if your mobile phone is an Android one.
Tips to keep your mobile device safe
The advanced technology that you use may make your smartphone a target for many cyber criminals. So, you need to consider your phone security for many reasons. If your phone is lost or stolen, the chances of hacking your personal information from internet pages are high. Consider the following tips to ensure the safety of your mobile phone device.
1. Use a screen lock
If your mobile phone device is stolen, you can prevent access to your personal information by locking your phone. Ensure to have a lock on the screen of your phone for the safety of personal data. Depending on the features and capabilities of your smartphone, you can secure it with a password, fingerprint, face recognition, or pattern.
2. Set up a SIM card lock
A screen lock is very helpful for the safety of your phone, but someone can easily remove your SIM card from the phone and use it on another phone. You can prevent this if you use a SIM card lock. A PIN is useful to connect to the network when your phone is turned on.
3. Use secure Wi-Fi to connect
You can access the internet anywhere with your mobile phone. People tend to access free Wi-Fi whenever they get a chance. Using unsecured Wi-Fi can save on your data, but it may put your data unsecured. Ensure to connect to a VPN or virtual private network if you use public Wi-Fi to ensure mobile phone security.
4. Install Anti-virus software
You may hear about anti-virus programs for desktop and laptop computers. But not many know that such programs are available for pocket-sized computers like smartphones as well. You can ensure your smartphone security by installing anti-virus software. It can protect your mobile phone against hackers, viruses, and malware.
Use smart phone for entertainment but ensure security
Your mobile phone is not just for access web and email or capturing pictures. It is also a fantastic device for entertainment. Users can enjoy music, movies, and games and read books through their mobile phones. In North America, around 64 million use their smartphones for gaming. People also use it to read e-books and watch movies.
Smartphones are very helpful for students to get easy access to helpful content. They can watch educational videos and can be more interactive in learning. Students use their mobile phones to surf the internet and search for important information. You can also use your smartphones for GPS and capture pictures.
Even if you use smartphones for various functions, you must ensure your mobile security. It is the right time to increase awareness about different security threats. The modern features in your mobile phones put your data at more risk.
Even if you do not use the internet to access data through your mobile phone, still your phone at risk if not protected properly.
People use different mobile devices, which can be a target for cyber-attacks and viruses if not properly secured. The frequency of mobile threats has increased for the last few years which cost big money to users.
Final thoughts
When you purchase a mobile phone, no manual comes with it that mentions anything about your phone security. If you want to navigate your smartphone devices in a secure way, you need to consider a few things to keep your device safe and secure.
Ensure to keep your phone locked to avoid access to your personal information in the case of any theft. Setting secure passwords also ensure your mobile phone security. You may also consider keeping the operating system of your device up-to-date for its safety.
As a smartphone user, you must ensure to connect through a secure WiFi in order to protect your information. It is not easy to make your mobile device safe. But you must make it one of your priorities. Day-by-day new vulnerabilities arise and you must be aware of the different suspicious activities that occur for ensuring your smartphone security.
