As we have become heavily dependent on our mobile devices for privacy-sensitive tasks such as online banking, work emails, online shopping and sharing on social media, it is critical that we practice mobile security 24/7, 365 days per year.
Talking about security, 2018 was a bad year for tech & social media companies. A lot of companies lost trust & hence, a lot of users. A ton of people lost their data to god knows who!!
Here are some of the easy and simple ways to secure your phone and protect your data. It might seem that most of these involve a steep learning curve, but once done, you can live a peaceful digital life.
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| Source: Google Images |
SECURE THE DEVICE:
Probably the most basic rule of protecting a phone! One can do this by implementing a screen lock by using a unique password and/or biometric authentication such as fingerprint! While this can prevent someone else in checking the contents of your phone, it is especially helpful if you lose/misplace your phone. My suggestion is to avoid a pattern lock as it could be easily remembered or could be recognised through swipe marks on the screen.
How-to: Settings > Lock Screen & Password > Set Screen Lock / Manage fingerprints
KEEP THE DEVICE UP-TO-DATE:
Updating your phone to the latest software helps you in safeguarding your data. It not only prevents your data from getting compromised, but it also brings you up to speed with the latest functions.
Apart from the phone software itself, even app manufacturers are constantly updating apps in order to identify bugs or make critical repairs.
Make sure you keep checking for updates and do it on a regular basis, as it helps you i making your phone experience better.
In case your data/wifi is unlimited, you may set automatically update the apps instead of having to check and update them manually.
How-to:
Device Update: Settings > About Phone > System Update
App Update: Play Store > My Apps & Games > Update
PASSWORDS:
Consider changing your once every 3 months. Let it become hygiene. Oh, also, remember to not have the same password for work & personal accounts.
If you have a tough time remembering passwords, you may want to avail the services of a password manager, instead of writing them in a piece of paper!!
What is a password manager, you ask? Here is some info - PASSWORD MANAGERS
BACK UP!
Whether it is your personal data or work-related data, if you are still saving all of it in a single location, 2019 is a good year to back up your data both digitally and the good old way of backup on a hard drive. Google, Apple & Microsoft (apart from other companies) allow free cloud storage. Depending on the kind of usage, you may buy additional storage to store important files.
Other than acting as a backup, cloud services also let you access your files from anywhere under the sun!
STOP BEING FOOLED BY CYBER CRIMINALS (Well, try):
Do not click on links, ads and attachments that look fishy or too good to be true. Remember, NOTHING is free.
Unless from a direct source or from a trusted colleague & friend (worth a check, nonetheless), do not click on any link as it might be spam and might put your device and data in serious risk.
If the link is too tempting, do a quick search on the web. If it is indeed true, go ahead check it out from the source itself.
STOP USING UNSECURED WiFi NETWORKS:
Google Rail-Tel is nice. So is the free wifi at the nearby cafe. But, it might put your data at serious risk.
When you connect to an open Wifi network that doesn’t require a password, anyone else on that network can connect to you. Malicious parties can set-up data syphons and can easily access the sensitive data in your device.
Data has become very inexpensive these days. Stick to them. Okay, in case you HAVE to connect to an open WiFi network, ensure that you have a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your device. They act as a shell and protect your PC / Mobile from being attacked.
Note: Despite all the software to protect, avoid sending sensitive data over public WiFi
More on VPNs HERE.
SET PRIVACY FILTERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
This might not be a fun and easy task to complete, but navigating through the settings menu of all the social media services and setting up various privacy filters will help you stay safe from prying eyes.
You may start with making your account private. You may also create different groups with relevant sharing access.
Apart from the above, disable auto location tagging and untick options that allow people to tag you in photos.
Okay, in all fairness, doing the above defeats the purpose of being a part of a social network. But given the security risks involved, doing the above may safeguard you.
CLEAN-UP 3rd PARTY ACCESS:
Google & Facebook can link-up to 3rd party apps so that they can access your name, calendar, contact list and other info. You would have given them access while signing up for a particular service. Over time, we stop using these apps & services. These apps, however, continue to access your data like calendar, location etc and may track you. All this becomes a problem when the app/service in questions gets hacked, or sell data to nefarious companies!
So, ensure that your data is strictly shared with companies that you use on a regular basis and revoke access to others that you have stopped using.
Here is HOW you can do it.
UPGRADE YOUR DEVICE:
Remember. If all else fails, consider getting yourselves a new device! It will not only be the latest in terms of hardware and software, but it will also go a long way in making your digital experience better!
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| Source: Google Images |
Those were some of the security measures you can take to lead a safe digital life.
If you feel that I have missed out on any major security task, do let me know. May all of you have a safe and peaceful 2019 :)
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