The evolution of the smartphone over the years has been very rapid and dynamic. Smartphones of today offer more than just the opportunity to make phone calls and send texts. Our smartphones now serve as personal assistants, virtual reality consoles and even remote controls.

In the light of all these, smartphone security raises a lot of concern. It is very important to protect your data from falling into the wrong hands. The first step of securing your smartphone requires common sense and then taking extra measures to further strengthen the security. Here are 5 tips to help you secure your precious smartphone.

5 Tips to Keep Your Smartphone Safe and Secure

 

1. Set Up A Lock Screen

This is the most basic form of security – locking your screen. It is the first step to preventing unauthorized users gaining access to your phone. You can choose between fingerprint verification, PIN, password and gesture pattern options or other vendor-specific locking methods on your smartphone. Go the Security subsection of your smartphone Settings to set up a lock screen

 

2. Encrypt Your Phone

Encrypting your phone can be a lifesaver. Screen locks are not completely safe. There are several techniques to bypass a lock screen, especially on Android. Encrypting your device prevents people from accessing your data using bruteforce attacks or when your device is offline. Recent versions of iOS and Android come with encryption out of the box, but you might want to go to your settings and ensure your phone is encrypted.

 

3. Stay Up to Date

Outdated software, be it the operating system or an application, are often exploited and compromised when bugs are discovered in them. Not updating your software exposes your device to these bugs and makes it very vulnerable, at the mercy of hackers. Software vendors release regular updates to fix bugs, patch up security and stability flaws and improve the system in general. Make it a habit to always look out for and update your software.

 

4. Lookout While Browsing

Malicious attacks have taken to another dimension. Malware like ransomware and adware are often propagated through the web to take advantage of your device through your web browser.

• Avoid clicking on links you are not familiar with, which are sent to you via email or other platforms.
• Avoid visiting or making transactions on lesser known websites, especially those without an https
• Avoid clicking on pop-ups and prompts to install certain software. They often hide as system apps and leak your precious data.

 

5. Avoid Root / Jailbreak / Sideloading

Android users love root, it feels good to jailbreak an iOS device and it’s convenient to install an application outside the store. Rooting and Jailbreaking grants you unrestricted access to protected parts of your operating system, usually done to protect you. Although rooting and jailbreaking opens you to endless possibilities on your smartphone, it makes it very easy for your phone to get attacked by malware and hackers.

Sideloading enables you to install applications outside the store using application installer files (.apk or .ipa). These apps from external sources are usually re-engineered and are malicious. Avoid installing such (cracked) applications from external sources. Also, for Android users, keep “Unknown Sources” disabled in your settings unless you really trust it.

It’s near impossible to enforce 100{76ac33845123b25982ffda0eb6f606179ce899e677f3c86d035d7b9fa6b6d307} privacy and security on your smartphone. However, these strategies should help you keep your smartphone safe and secure should they fall into the wrong hands.