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How Secure is Your Smartphone?

By September 24, 2013April 15th, 2018General Updates

We can do just about everything on our smartphones. They conveniently help us pay our bills, check credit card balances, send emails and navigate to new locations. The more we rely on our phones for these tasks, the greater the risk we run for exposing our personal information. What can you do to keep your smartphone secure? Review our Tips on Keeping Your Phone Secure below.

Password Protection: The easiest way to protect your phone is to add a password on the home screen. Make your password complicated enough so that a thief can’t easily guess it.

New Apps: Research apps before you install them. Consumers are often fooled into installing what seems to be a well-known app, but is actually an imposter.

Tracking Apps: There are apps, such as Prey and Find My iPhone, that provide tracking systems which allow you to pinpoint the location of your phone if it is stolen. Many of these apps are free and easy to download.

WiFi Hotspots: Be careful when checking your email on public WiFi (restaurants, coffee shops, etc.). These wireless hotspots transmit your data over-the-air, which makes you more vulnerable. When you enter important password or credit card information in these areas, you’re running a higher risk of someone stealing your information.

Bank Apps: It’s no wonder that mobile banking is one of the most popular app categories. It’s so convenient to check your balance or transfer funds between accounts. Unfortunately, mobile banking apps can also be the most dangerous. You should never save your usernames or passwords in your banking apps.

GPS/Map Apps: GPS maps hold a lot of information about the user. Just by logging into a user’s GPS map app, you can often determine where the user’s home is. Try inputting a landmark you know in your GPS rather than the actual addresses.

Notes:  Don’t use the Notes app to store passwords, insurance information or other sensitive data. Try a safer app with encryption and multiple passwords such as Wallet for Android or iVault for iPhone.

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