Do you think you don't have to do anything to protect your phone? Do you really think that no one but you can access all the data on your smartphone? What can we do to actively and truly protect our terminal without having to be cybersecurity professionals?
For many it is their most private possession that contains their entire life; For others, the mobile phone has become a work tool; while, for a few, it is just a way to disconnect and escape.
Whatever your case, there is no doubt that it is a device that has been attached to us for a few years.
- We look at it as soon as we wake up.
- We trust him to notify us of important events, such as birthdays or meetings.
- He knows where we are at all times.
- And it allows us to connect with people instantly that would not be possible otherwise.
The mobile phone, together with the existence of the Internet, make up a combination of resources that puts great power at our fingertips, but at the same time records every step we take ... Have you ever thought what would happen if that information fell into our hands? wrong?
How to avoid a cyber attack on your mobile phone
Private messages, banking information, online purchases, downloads ...
These are just some of the thousands of things that we can store on our mobile phone. Not to mention all the files, such as videos, photographs or text documents that we have ever saved in our terminal, can make your best technological ally your worst nightmare.
Perhaps a cybercriminal cannot do much with a bank statement or with the last purchase you made last week on Amazon, but think about it: if you can do almost everything with it, the reality is that anyone can do it for you too.
Protecting yourself from cyberattacks is easier than you think, and with just a few steps you can protect your mobile so that your life remains yours forever.
Update the operating system
How many times have we stopped updating our mobile simply because the warning appeared when we were doing something else?
Don't put it off any longer. Manufacturers release these updates not only to include improvements in their systems, but also to cover security holes and other issues that have been discovered in the previous version.
The longer you wait to update, the more vulnerable your device will be.
Attention to the apps you install
We all love apps, and we find one for everything. The problem comes when our phone is full of applications that can become the main door of an attack.
If a hacker finds a vulnerability in the code of any of our apps, it could be exploited to access our terminal and, therefore, all our information stored in it.
The best recommendation is the following: uninstall all the apps that you have not used for a long time and update all the ones you use daily.
Most apps continue to run in the background, even if you can't see it, so your phone is actually exposed without you knowing about it.
Try to uninstall those less used apps and activate automatic updates, so that they update themselves whenever you connect your terminal to a Wi-Fi network.
Activate localization
Geolocation systems are a super useful tool for know the location of our mobile in real time and with a tiny margin of error.
Both Android phones and iPhones incorporate their own GPS location system as standard. You just have to have the location option active and correctly configure the system.
If you have an iPhone, you just have to use the Find my iPhone app from another device, by logging in to www.icloud.com. To locate a cell phone by Google, the process is similar, and you will need to use the Android "Find my phone" service to track your mobile from anywhere.
In both cases, you will access a map where the place where your devices are located will appear.
From the menu itself you can:
- Play a sound
- Lock the terminal
- Clear all data
It is only necessary to have this configuration activated before hand and keep the location system always on and your chances of finding your phone will increase exponentially.
Use strong passwords
Not activating a pin code or an unlock pattern on your phone is the same as leaving your front door open.
Check that you have activated the auto-lock function so that it is required to enter a credential after a period of time. The keys are to use a strong password and set the lock at 60 seconds.
For a password to be effective, always choose the longest possible, since a 6-digit code will always be more secure than a 4-digit code. And please, skip the obvious passwords like 1234 or abcd.
Currently there is also the possibility of adding a password to our apps, so it is a good idea to protect the most sensitive ones, such as email, bank or Amazon.
Be careful with public Wi-Fi connections
Everyone loves to find a public Wi-Fi network, as they are a solution to the cost of data.
However, connections to these types of networks are incredibly easy for a hacker to intercept.
This does not mean that they are dangerous. Just take a few precautions and use them only for surfing the internet or watching videos, but think twice before entering any passwords.
A more advanced method is to use a Virtual Private Network, also known as a VPN. A VPN serves to encrypt your wireless session before reaching the public network.
Some devices allow connection to VPN quickly and easily through their settings panel.
You can find some apps with very attractive VPN plans that will allow you to surf safely anywhere.
Pay attention to SMS
Lately a new type of attack has become fashionable, which consists of sending an SMS with a link, which at the moment it is clicked by the victim offers full access to hackers to install malware that allows them to attack our phone .
Delete all information remotely
In the event that, definitely, you have given up your phone for lost, you have the possibility to delete all your information remotely.
If you had activated the function «Find my iPhone» -or «Find my phone» for those who are looking for how to locate an Android cell phone-, then you will be able to access your terminal to erase every last piece of information it contains.
On the other hand, if you want to sell your old phone, it is best to make sure of the following:
- Take out your SIM card
- Remove your SD card
- Restore the device to factory settings
In this way, you will make sure that no one but you has access to your personal data.
Encrypt all your messages
Even if all the information stored on your smartphone is automatically encrypted, that does not mean that the messages you exchange over the Internet are also encrypted.
To ensure the privacy of all your conversations, you can choose platforms such as Telegram or WhatsApp, which allow total data encryption.
Although there is no way to guarantee the absence of cyberattacks, with these simple steps you will take your terminal to the next level and you will make that tool that makes you so happy, now it is also much safer.
