{"id":5109,"date":"2017-05-23T09:08:01","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T14:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/?p=5109"},"modified":"2017-05-09T16:12:58","modified_gmt":"2017-05-09T21:12:58","slug":"5-phone-security-mistakes-youre-probably-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/5-phone-security-mistakes-youre-probably-making\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Phone Security Mistakes you\u2019re probably making"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In this enlightened technological age, we all think we\u2019re clued up on tech security, don\u2019t we? We know to secure our PCs and laptops with passwords, two-step verification, anti-virus software, firewalls and anti-spyware and keep a check on our browser security settings. We\u2019ve read the data breach horror stories and the torrid tales of hard drives being wiped clean by ransomware<\/a> and we\u2019re savvy enough to have all the tools in place to make our digital fortress impregnable. We\u2019re proud that those rookie mistakes in digital security could never happen to us.<\/span><\/p>\n

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However, despite the fact that for many of us, a huge amount of personal data (our whole lives in effect) is stored on our mobile phones, we often don\u2019t subject our mobile devices to the same super-strict security protocols we are so conscientious of keeping up to date on our PC\u2019s and laptops. Mobile phone security mistakes can be just as costly as those on your other devices, and there are 5 common mistakes that you are probably making right now.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Not using a password<\/span><\/h2>\n

This one seems like a no-brainer, but, shockingly, 30% of mobile phone users do not have a password, pin lock or other form of access protection set up on their phone.<\/a> Be sure to use at least a four-digit code, or, for extra peace of mind set a longer password. The way to do this varies by model of phone, but is generally under the \u201csettings\u201d section. Some phones will scan your fingerprint instead of an alphanumerical code. However, security experts like to remind us that you can always reset a password if you need to; you can\u2019t change your fingerprint.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

2. Trusting public Wi-Fi<\/span><\/h2>\n

Fraudsters can easily create an open Wi-Fi network that has a similar name to that of a coffee shop, and capture private data from the people who unwittingly use it. If you must use open Wi-Fi, browse the Internet only, and make sure the sites you visit display in the search bar with \u201chttps.\u201d Don\u2019t make purchases, or sign into bank and credit card accounts\u2014save those tasks for when you\u2019re at home.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Sharing your location<\/span><\/h2>\n

Your phone uses a combination of cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS networks to pinpoint its location at all times. This comes in handy for finding the nearest pub or using Google Maps, but it also means that your location data is accessible to anyone with your phone and the wrong intentions. If the idea of someone being able to track where you live, work and play is disturbing to you for whatever reason, disable your phone\u2019s location services.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t announce, \u201cI\u2019m not home!\u201d on Facebook and Twitter. Time Magazine<\/i> estimates that 78 percent of burglars<\/a> use social media to choose the location of their next victim, so avoid real-time posts about holidays. If you\u2019re dying to share that photo of the Maldives or a giant margarita, email it to a select few, rather than broadcasting it via social media. Set your Facebook privacy setting so that you can review tagged posts from friends and relatives before they go up on your timeline. Once you\u2019re back home, feel free to share your pics, blog about your fabulous trip, and post to Instagram. Just use the hashtag \u201c#latergram\u201d to indicate that your photos are post-dated.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Downloading dodgy apps \u2013 and not updating existing ones<\/span><\/h2>\n

Only download apps from official, trustworthy app stores (like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store). Check an app\u2019s rating and read the reviews to make sure it\u2019s widely used and respected before you take any action.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Similarly, you should ensure you enable updates for all you apps. Apps update often for a reason. Sometimes people, fail to or ignore updating their phones for long periods of time. These updates are not only features updates, but security updates. Many hackers thrive on the fact people do not update their apps or phones and take advantage of bugs in them to steal your data.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Blurring the lines between personal and professional devices<\/span><\/h2>\n

Bring your own device (BYOD) has gained popularity over the last few years, especially in the startup business market. An increase in mobile and remote working practices means nobody wants to carry multiple smartphones and constantly utilise different mobile operating systems to check email and manage calendars. However, the security risk is often overshadowed by convenience. Employees\u2019 personal devices may have access to and store confidential corporate data directly on the device. When an employee leaves an organisation, that information is still present on their device and can be accessed indefinitely. In terms of data security this is a major mistake. Ensure that you are up to date with your organisation\u2019s policies surrounding the use of personal devices for business use and adhere to them at all costs so that you are not personally compromising security.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this enlightened technological age, we all think we\u2019re clued up on tech security, don\u2019t we? We know to secure our PCs and laptops with passwords, two-step verification, anti-virus software, firewalls and anti-spyware and keep a check on our browser security settings. We\u2019ve read the data breach horror stories and the torrid tales of hard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","category-pc-security"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5109"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5111,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5109\/revisions\/5111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poweradmin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}