With the increase of smartphone usage across the world to perform everyday tasks like shopping, playing games, and internet banking, experts warn that most people are prone to cyber-attacks. That has inspired many software developing companies to create security protocols that help secure your information, especially when using your smartphone to surf the internet.
This article offers expert advice on how to protect your smartphone in 2021 whether you’re using this site or the bingo promo code to have fun on the internet.
Ways to Protect your Smartphone from Cyber-Attacks
- Beware of the Apps you Install
Most applications you install on your smartphone require access to your camera, photos, phonebook, and other essential applications. That’s why it’s safer to only install applications from trustworthy creators to avoid external tampering and exposure of sensitive data to third parties. You’ll also need to ensure that the permissions given during the installation match the purpose of the downloaded app as you might not be able to change the permission once granted.
- Avoid Opening Suspicious URLs
These days, it’s common to get invitations to click on different URLs with the promise to win a holiday or any other prize within minutes, sent to your email or social media inbox. However, if you think a deal sounds too good to be true, it’s probably because it is. For that reason, you should avoid clicking on such links whether it was sent by a friend or a family member, as it may be just a clickbait to gain access to your device.
- Avoid Using Public Wi-Fi
When connecting to a hotel’s free Wi-Fi network, it pays to ask the staff the official name of their free Wi-Fi network. That’s because cyber attackers on the premises can easily introduce fake Wi-Fi access points with a name that closely resembles the legitimate one and confuse unsuspecting clients to get access to their devices. These fake Wi-Fi networks can be used to extract personal information like email addresses, contacts, and passwords. Additionally, public Wi-Fi networks are easy enough for most malicious attackers to exploit.
- Use Face Recognition, Fingerprint, and Pins to Unlock your Device
Thanks to advancements in smartphone technology, most mobile phones today feature fingerprint and facial recognition software for security purposes. That helps to secure your data, as cyber attackers don’t always use malicious applications to access your information.
Only three minutes of leaving your phone unattended are enough for someone to access and transfer your personal information to a web drive. Setting pins for accessing different areas on your phone also helps to beef up your security, but don’t make them too obvious for anyone to guess.
- Don’t Use Modified Smartphones
Most smartphone manufacturers create their devices with multiple security protocols, which also limit the installation of malicious software. However, some people may be tempted to remove these restrictions to allow the installation of unauthorized programs, a process known as “rooting” for android or “jailbreak” for iOS. Unfortunately, that also makes it possible for your smartphone to be easily controlled externally and can be used for criminal activities like cyber-attacks and scams without your knowledge.
