The potential for a cybercriminal to hack your phone or tablet has continuously grown over the years, and now? It’s even more of a concern.
Nowadays, hackers are becoming more and more sophisticated in how they hack devices. There are countless hacking software options online available for free, and by using these apps, hackers can retrieve any information from your phone. Not only that, but they also use “social engineering” to fool you into thinking that something is safe and secure when it’s not.
It is essential that you take action to protect yourself and your mobile device. It’s a matter of understanding how hackers target you, and doing some research into cybersecurity – learning the tips that can be used in your daily life. The 5 tips below should help start you off on your foray into the cybersecurity world.
Turning off WiFi when you’re out
There’s a lot of free public WiFi hotspots out there. Most of the time they’re from recognisable brands such as Tesco or Costa Coffee. You might feel quite relaxed using this, but what if a hacker was sitting outside your local coffee shop broadcasting a public WiFi hotspot of the same name?
Also, for smaller establishments that might not have WiFi, it’s so simple to set up a public WiFi hotspot with the same name as the venue you’re sitting in. It makes public networks much less secure than your average network due to the lack of a password needed to get in. Plus, data transmitted through this network tends to be unencrypted – “in the clear”.
To avoid the dangers of a public network, and to save your battery life, you can disable the Wi-Fi on your phone. If you need to use the network, refrain from accessing sensitive information or doing anything important or personal.
Encrypt your Network
Using an unencrypted network opens you up to numerous security threats, from data breaches to cyberattacks. To keep your digital privacy, make sure you only use encrypted networks. But how?
One of the most efficient ways to encrypt a network is to use an online privacy tool like a VPN. A VPN creates a new private tunnel for all your online activity to go through, so instead of passing through your local network which is exposed to your ISPs and other cybercriminals, a VPN shields your activity and data from others. This will allow you to encrypt your network and, depending on the tool, include extra security features to make sure you’re as protected as can be.
Use Security Apps
One common misconception many people still hold onto is that cybercriminals can only hack into your device and/or steal your information when they have possession of your device. This is far from the truth. In fact, many cyberattacks happen remotely.
This is why it’s important for you to take advantage of as much security software as possible. Whether you’re using software that encrypts your device’s data or software that generates strong passwords for your account, all that matters is you take advantage of these applications whenever possible. After all, human error is a leading cause for many cyberattacks, so why not let programs do some of the heavy liftings?
Be Careful while Installing Files
One trick cybercriminals like to pull is to create a mock-website – a website that looks just like an official website (for example, a site to look like Amazon.com or the DVLA). This is because cybercriminals know that some will fall for this trick, then they will enter their information – whether personal or financial – and give them easy access to said information.
Some cybercriminals will also use phishing methods to take users to these websites, download certain applications, and so on. All in all, you need to be careful about what you’re downloading and from where. If you get an email from someone you don’t know claiming they’ve found a great website, don’t click on the link.
Create Strong Passwords
Passwords are the gates to our accounts, and if these gates were breached, then whoever was responsible for the breach would have access to all of the information on the account. Clearly, this is bad. Fortunately, there’s one foolproof way of securing your accounts, and it starts with you.
Using a strong, unique password for all of your accounts will near-guarantee your account will be safe from most cybercriminals. After all, most cybercriminals go after accounts with potentially-weak passwords, and if yours has a strong password? They may just give up before getting in.
Conclusion
These practices will safeguard your devices from security vulnerabilities and cyber-attacks. Our mobile devices contain a lot of personal data, such as online banking details, saved passwords, private information, personal media, and more.
No matter what brand you are using, adopting proper cybersecurity etiquette is a must for any mobile user.