You Love Your Smartphone – but don’t let that stop you from being Safe!
You use it for everything: photos, banking, books, email, your personal and professional calendar, documents; everything! It is incredibly convenient as a one source tool. This convenience is also what makes it an inherently vulnerable target.
Some Threats You May Not Be Aware Of
Below is a very brief list of common security threats you should be aware of when using your smartphone:
Mobile malware can capture information and allow thieves to spy on you even without you being aware of it.
There are banking Trojans that will intercept financial transactions with your bank. Obviously, this sensitive data makes one vulnerable to all sort of attacks. Some could be immediate, while others could drag out and run over longer periods of time.
Imagine if you smartphone provided would be thieves or spies about where and when you are located in a place. If your phone conversations were recorded, there could be an enormous amount of sensitive information falling into the wrong hands.
You may be tricked into giving out your personal information via a phishing scam targeted to your phone.
Tips for Securing your Smartphone
Don’t leave your phone unattended or in an area where someone else could gain access to it.
Don’t leave your phone lying around. And always know where it is.
Don’t use simple passwords that someone could guess based on other avaiable information. And make sure you lock it down.
It’s Just Like your Computer
The major security software brands offer mobile options that are designed for your specific smartphone. Anything that makes you worry about security on your computer should also cause you concern on your Smartphone.
Update When you Can
As soon as programmers see bugs or security issues with software, they normally create a fix and then launch an update. When a security update is available for your phone’s operating system, you should install it immediately.
All Apps are Not Safe
Stick to the safety of your trusted official online store. Apps can be piggy-backed on and malware can make a home on your smartphone without you even knowing it.
Turn off Wifi
Wireless features leave you open to attacks and should be turned off when they are not being actively used. Don’t leave yourself open to these types of hacks. Your Wifi should be encrypted, have a unique password, and have some additional security features in order to provide you with a comfortable level of trust.
Back it Up
Sync your phone to your computer often. It’s an easy solution for protecting your data. If the phone is lost or damaged, the most important part of the phone, the data, can be recovered.
GPS Location
Be aware of what locations you’ve stored in your phone. And consider whether you’d want any of these locations to be accessed by a thief if the worst occurred.
Remote Functionality
With remote wipe functions, you can make sure that thieves cannot hold your smartphone hostage. Preventing sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands is simply a matter of enabling your remote wipe.
Can you Insure your Smartphone?
What do you do if your smartphone gets stolen? Most home insurance policies do have a limit on electronic devices. Be sure to review your policy for details. However, most will provide some coverage, but the deductibles vary widely.
We offer the only Vancouver Home Insurance policy that can be truly tailored to your needs. Get a quote and buy a policy online or by phone. Or Visit our Vancouver Home Insurance video.