Smartphones have become an important part of our lives. We use smartphones for shopping, online banking, ordering food, entertainment, and social media. Smartphone usage has increased from 2.9 billion in 2018 to 3.6 billion in 2020. That said, we store a lot of data on our smartphones, including addresses, credit card information, and passwords - leading to security and privacy concerns.
It’s not just the VIP and celebrities who should be concerned about hacking and security breaches; we all have to face this risk. There are multiple ways cybercriminals can get access to your smartphone - ranging from hacking into someone’s voicemail to stored data.
Therefore, if you want to be proactive, make sure to follow these tips and tricks below to secure your smartphones and make them hack-proof.
1. Use a VPN
The first and the most important step is to use a VPN. Hackers often target public Wi-Fi that is insecure, including coffee shops and hotels. Due to low-security standards on public Wi-Fi, hackers can easily access your device and steal important information, including bank account details.
Therefore, if you are traveling a lot and have to use open Wi-Fi, make sure to get a VPN. A VPN is designed to encrypt your web traffic and reroute it through secure servers, making it impossible to trace. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a VPN, as there are plenty of VPNs that are 100% free and make a great security tool for your smartphone.
2. Check your privacy settings
The next step is to check your smartphone’s privacy settings to make sure you are not giving away a lot of information that is not required. Similarly, review apps that you have already downloaded on your phone. It takes but two minutes to check all the settings on your phone. Simply go to Settings > Privacy, you will see all the relevant information regarding all the apps.
From the privacy settings, you can see which apps are storing what information. You can then disable these features accordingly and allow permissions to few trusted apps only.
3. Download apps from trusted sources
Download apps from trusted and official sources only. For example, download apps from Google Play Store or App Store, don’t download apps from third-party sites. Also, make sure to real app reviews and app permissions before hitting the download button. It’s also best to check the privacy policy of the apps you are downloading.
While you are at it, make sure to read all the information the app will need to run smoothly. For example, will the app need access to your phone’s camera and more? That’s something you need to think about.
4. Regularly update software
Always keep your software updated. According to global statistics, more than a billion devices are at risk of being hacked because of poor security. Install updates as soon as they become available because these updates include security patches and fix bugs. Yes, updating the smartphone can sometimes be tiring because it changes the interface that you are used to. However, it’s a necessary step to ensure the security of your device because hackers can use the vulnerability in your software to their advantage.
Similarly, we don’t recommend using unofficial tools to root your phone, like Jailbreak on iOS devices. Once you root your device, its safeguards are compromised, allowing apps to perform actions that are not allowed, thus compromising your security.
5. Use a Password on the lock screen
Don’t keep your phone unlocked without a password. Most people don’t use a password because they find it tiresome, but without a pin or a password, anyone can access your phone in case of theft. Using a strong password is like adding another layer of security to your device.
When it comes to setting a password for your smartphone, make sure to use unique combinations with letters, numbers, and symbols. Similarly, don’t use names, addresses, and birthdays as passwords because they are easy to guess. If you think you cannot remember passwords, you can use pattern lock instead.
6. Lock apps on your smartphone
Another tip to secure your device and make it hack-proof is to lock individual apps with passwords. You can use a password manager for these apps as well. Most smartphones also come with a built-in app locking feature that you can use to secure all apps, especially online shopping apps and mobile wallets.
7 Enable device manager
This might seem like an excessive task, but make sure to enable the device manager on your smartphone. Android phones have an Android Device manager, and Apple smartphones have "Find My iPhone" that you can use to locate your phone if you misplace it or in case of theft.
8. Disable autosave feature for passwords
In order to save time, most of us save passwords for various apps and websites. It might save some time, but hackers can use these passwords to access apps and sites on your smartphone. Therefore make sure to disable the autosave feature for passwords. If you still want to save passwords of some apps like social media apps, you can but avoid saving passwords of bank account apps and mobile wallets.
9. Use 2 Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is another excellent tool for online privacy, and it adds an extra layer of privacy and security to your accounts. For example, you can use Google Authenticator for your apps. When you log in to your apps, it sends a code to Google Authenticator that you need to access your account. The code is time-bound and is only available for a few seconds only before it renews.
10. Check your Bluetooth settings
Finally, check your connectivity settings, especially Bluetooth and mobile hotspot features. Head over to Bluetooth settings and make sure to set your device as ‘Non-discoverable.’ If your device setting is set as visible, hackers can easily target your phone. Just like Bluetooth, configure the settings of your mobile hotspot to make sure it’s visible to limited devices only.
Mobile hotspots are convenient, but it comes with security concerns. Therefore, it’s best to secure Mobile Hotspots by limiting their visibility and configuring their privacy settings.