5 Tips to keep your smartphone safe

Most people now own a mobile phone, and with more and more apps becoming available there is a large amount of personal, private and financial information held on a single device.

Due to this, criminals are not only wanting to get their hands on smart phones for the phone value, but also for the information stored on them. 

Below are 5 tips that will assist in keeping your smart phone and the information stored on it safe.

·  Make sure you use strong passwords, and certainly don’t keep default passwords. The best passwords involve the use of 3 unrelated words. See the attached sheet for examples.

·  Make sure your phone can be blocked and tracked if it is stolen, options may be already built into your phone, or there are apps available. More information should be available from your phone manufacturer as to the best options to consider. 

·  Keep your phone operating system up to date. There are regular updates to operating systems on mobile phones, and normally these involve a security update or patch. So, when you get a notification that there is an update available, make sure you install it.

·  Keep your apps up to date. As with phone operating systems, there are regular app updates available. Make sure you download updates when they are available, these may also include security patches.

·  Don’t connect to free Wi-Fi hotspots. There are devices that allow criminals to access your device if it is attached to the same hotspot and remove information from it without you knowing. Consider using 4G or 5G connections which will have built in security, a wireless dongle from your network provider or a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Make sure you only use VPNs from reputable service providers.

With criminals identifying more innovative methods to obtain information from smartphones, if followed, these tips will reduce the risk that you become a victim of this.

Further crime prevention advice can be found on the Secured by Design website here.