7 Ways to Protect Your Smartphone from Hackers

In this day and age, it is extremely difficult or even hard to imagine ourselves spending even a day off without using our mobile devices.

We’re all addicted to our Smartphones.

The portability and ease-of-use of these small devices have made us all far too attached to our little Smartphones.

But there’s no doubt about it, these little intelligent mobile phones can be extremely valuable to our personal and professional lives.

According to Statista, the total number of mobile phone users is expected to reach 5 Billion users by 2019.

But there’s only one problem: hackers and cybercriminals have taken notice of this, and are now turning some of their focus to targeting users of these mobile devices with viruses and various other malicious software — in an attempt to steal users data and compromise their devices.

So here are ten suggestions that you can do to avoid falling victim to these attacks and protect your data and mobile device.

1. 1. Always update your devices

If you want to make sure your devices don’t have vulnerabilities which hackers can use to compromise your devices, one of the best things that you can do is to always keep your mobile devices up to date.

Whenever there is an update available by your phone manufacturer or to any of your mobile apps, make sure to install the update on your device as soon as possible.

This way you will keep yourself protected from any potential vulnerabilities, because hackers are always on the lookout for possible vulnerabilities in mobile devices.

2. Beware of malicious apps

Apps with malicious software are everywhere, this is one of the most widely-used methods by cybercriminals to compromise devices.

When you install a mobile app, and it asks for too many permissions, chances are that you shouldn’t install it on your device.

Mobile apps that require too many permissions like access to your files, camera, and microphone usually tend to abuse this data, and may probably sell it to advertisers or hackers.

3. Check your phone

If you’re like most people, your Smartphone is most likely full of all kinds of mobile apps.

But chances are at least one of them is not safe to use and may already be collecting your data without your consent.

Check your phone for malicious apps, and always be suspicious of applications that ask for sensitive information like your email address and credit card information.

4. Always lock your phone

No matter what you do, there is always a risk of losing your phone, so you should always be ready for such a circumstance.

Someone getting a hold of your phone can easily gain access to your data and learn a lot of sensitive information about you.

Always make sure you use at least a pin code or a simple password to lock your phone when you’re not using it.

Nowadays, high-end phones have many other lock-in features such as fingerprints and facial recognition. And there are also other options such as ”find my device” services that can be used to track and delete your phone’s data remotely in case of theft.

5. Don’t use auto-login

Most people nowadays have the ‘auto-login’ feature enabled on most websites and apps they visit.

While it can be pretty convenient to just access websites you commonly use without using a password, it’s definitely not a safe practice. Anyone who gets a hold of your phone can easily log into your social media profiles and other sensitive websites.

Therefore, you should never be using the auto-login feature online, hackers are constantly looking to break into databases of websites and steal their data. Instead, you can disable this option or use a password manager.

6. Don’t share too much information online

Perhaps this is the number one mistake most people make online.

Most people online end up sharing too much personal information about themselves, especially on social media sites.

Hackers love this fact, it is easier than ever to learn about most people’s full names, date of birth, and hometown, information that can be used against them by cybercriminals.

Try to limit the amount of information you share about yourself online, just to be on the safe side.

7. Be wary of public Wi-Fi hotspots

While it can be quite convenient to just use open Wi-Fi networks while on the go, it’s not as safe as you think.

With a little bit of skill, hackers can spy on your browsing activity and compromise your data.

If you must use public Wi-Fi networks, make sure to invest in a reliable VPN software to encrypt your internet traffic and protect your data from hackers or any snoopers.

Conclusion

Think about how many times you use your Smartphone? A typical Smartphone user touches their phone 2617 times per day, according to a recent report.

There’s always a risk of having your personal Smartphone data compromised by hackers who use malicious apps, websites, and software in an attempt to collect sensitive data about you such as your email address and financial information.