How to Secure Your Phone in 2022

“How to secure my phone” is among the most searched phrases in 2021. The reason is simple, growing phone thefts and smartphone viruses. 

Today, we rely on our mobile phones for almost everything from texting to making calls to playing games, streaming videos, emails, and even online banking.

Our mobile phone is a networked PC, camcorder, voice recorder, data storage device, gaming console, and navigation device, all rolled into one. It is a portable bank and networking site hub and a photo gallery, among other things. It is great. True, but these features make our smartphones extremely appealing targets for cyber attackers.

Now, the question is, what can we do to stay protected without giving up the comfort of having everything on our device? The solution is to secure our phones.

Mobile security is a deterrent to their malware activity. It is all about protecting against the wide variety of mobile security threats our mobile devices face.

This blog will discuss some great tips to secure your phone and your sensitive data in it.

11 Tips to Secure Your Smartphone

These general tips can help preserve you and your data safe, from locking your phone screen with a secured pin to downloading a security app.

Below are eleven valuable tips for enhancing the security of your mobile phone and the data stored on it:

Do Not Over Share Critical Data

That SMS from your bank requiring you to share your credit card detail or confirm an OTP may not be genuine. If you receive requests for bank details via text or email from any company, reach out to them directly to verify the requirement. The same thing goes for clicking on links in spam emails or text messages.

Lock Your Screen with A Strong Password

Adding a password to your screen reduces the chances of data exploits to a greater extent. The time a hacker or a robber would take to guess your password will buy you enough time to delete data from your phone and log out your emails and other vital accounts. It is simple to set up. Go over to your Security Settings for guidelines on most Android devices. These functions are available to iOS users in their settings General section. 

Tip: Use face authentication or biometric features to strengthen your phone security further.

Add Passcodes to Important Apps

You do not need a screen lock password only but an app lock. Adding a unique and robust passcode (not your screen lock password) to access your apps will add another layer of security to your phone and its data. The best passwords include both uppercase and lower case with digits and symbols. 

Choose Trusted App Stores Only

Use Google Play Store and Apple App Store if you are looking for a new application for gaming, video streaming, messaging, or business meetings. Check for reviews and ratings, and read the application’s privacy policy to understand exactly what mobile functionalities and data it will have direct exposure to if you install.

Data Backup is Crucial

The key to data security is to back up your data. It is more about safeguarding and reviving your data in the event of a disaster. You can recover your pictures, contacts, messages, music, files, videos, and other documents to the cloud using data backup tools and software.

Update Your OS Timely

iOS and Android phone software are typically updated regularly, not only to upgrade but also to improve security. Another way to improve phone security is to update your phone with each OS upgrade.

Use VPN

VPNs provide you with a protected cellular connection to a private server rather than sharing it with everyone on the network connection. It implies your data is more secure since it is encrypted from one server to another.

Turn Off WiFi, Location, and Bluetooth When Not in Use

The first thing to do here is to avoid unprotected and public WiFi and Bluetooth connection. WiFi and Bluetooth are great ways to connect and communicate. While enabling location helps you navigate. But fraudsters can use these features to access your device and files for malicious purposes. It is recommended that you turn these features off as soon as you have finished using them.

Log Out of Critical Accounts 

If you use your mobile phone to buy things online and bank transactions, log out as soon as your payments are made.

Tip: Do not save your login credentials on your mobile and avoid transactions when connected with public WiFi.

Encrypt Your Data

Numerous phones have enabled encryption features. However, if your phone does not have it, you will need to allow it. Data encryption can keep your personal information safe and secure by encrypting it in a code.

Enable Remote Data Wipe Option

Remote data wiping helps you delete sensitive data from your smartphone if it is lost or stolen. It is a unique mobile security feature that gives you complete control of your phone remotely. You can visit your phone’s manufacturer website for the process to wipe data from your stolen phone.

Conclusion

As smartphones continue to be targeted by cybercriminals, they can take mobile security and phone security threats more critically. Smartphones are just as exposed as PCs and other kinds of computing devices. They are vulnerable to social engineering, malware, network attacks, web attacks, and physical theft.

Be prepared and stay vigilant if you control an organization’s confidentiality or want to preserve your own devices. Begin with security awareness training and vital security initiatives, and then progress to more technical risk mitigation metrics.

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