Your phone is basically an exclusive device for your data, and if stolen or exposed to cyber criminals, it can compromise everything from your identity to financial accounts.
People are increasingly relying on smartphones for their digital needs, but even if you do not use mobile banking or financial apps, your phone may store sensitive data from online shopping, social networking, games, and other activities.
An unprotected phone is a major security risk that leaves you vulnerable wherever you go.
In addition to keeping sensitive data on laptops and desktops. Today’s businesses depend heavily on mobile devices, such as smartphones, to complete tasks.
Business smartphones, whether provided by the company or by the employee, are used for a variety of commercial operations, including inventory control, customer relations, advertising and marketing, banking, and others.
As a result, they become repositories for valuable data that hackers and malware can target. this is super important to secure your smartphones from hackers.
Taking the necessary precautions to protect data is similar to purchasing an insurance policy, and the majority of it boils down to instilling best practices throughout your organization rather than investing in expensive products.
13 Tips to Protect Business Devices Against a Data Breach
1. Secure Your Phone with a Password
To avoid this mishap, always use a four- or six-digit passcode – or set up a longer alphanumeric code – so that if you ever misplace your phone, it doesn’t expose your entire business to a stranger. Fingerprint scanning and facial recognition are also excellent options because they are faster and easier than memorizing an unlock code.
You must ensure that all mobile apps that contain personal data, such as banking, email, and your Amazon account, are password-protected. Don’t use the same password for all of your accounts, and change your passwords on a regular basis for added security.
A password protects your phone, preventing anyone who picks it up from simply rummaging through your mobile. If possible, use a complex and unique password that is more than just numbers. A good password contains a combination of letters, numbers, punctuation, and special characters. Use unusual transformations.
2. Set Your Phone to Lock Automatically
After a certain amount of time, your phone will automatically require a password for you to re-enter. This feature is critical, especially in public places where phones that look similar can be mistakenly swapped.
You can change the auto-lock time by going into your phone’s settings and selecting anything from immediately to several minutes, or even hours.
3. It Is Not a Good Idea to Save Passwords
You need to confirm that any mobile banking or financial app password should not save automatically on your phone. It may be convenient, but it is also dangerous.
4. Turn Off GPS, Bluetooth, And Any Other Wireless Features
Of course, when you’re not using them. They drain the battery, and hackers can also use their Bluetooth device to hack personal information or even track you.
5. Be Cautious When Using Wi-Fi Networks
Most people don’t think twice about connecting to a free public Wi-Fi network, but those using devices with sensitive business information should be cautious.
When possible, use only your private cell connection and turn off Wi-Fi on your mobile phone when in a public place.
And, of course, avoid connecting to unencrypted open networks. If that is not an option, consider using a VPN, but do so with caution because not all VPNs are created equal.
A VPN connects your network traffic to a server in another location via an encrypted connection. Unless you’re wearing a smartwatch that requires a Bluetooth connection to function, it’s also a good idea to turn off Bluetooth when you’re not using it.
6. Download with Caution
before downloading any apps to your phone to ensure they come from a legitimate site or publisher. Look for any complaints in user reviews.
7. Back-Up
If your smartphone is ever hacked, lost, or stolen, backing it up on a computer, USB drive, or cloud storage service can help you get access to your photos, videos and documents.
Having backup copies is a great idea. Think of your best friend right now. Do you have their phone number? Although a troublesome process, some information can be replaced, some items may be irreplaceable.
8. Enable Remote Tracking for A Service
This is a service that is available on the majority of phones. If someone stolen your phone, make sure you can remotely lock it and even erase its data while the GPS tracks its movement in the hands of a criminal.
You can even configure your phone to automatically delete your data if you enter your phone password inaccurately quite few times. Of course, a full reset would be a last resort to protect personal information, and you should have backed up your data beforehand.
9. Keep Your Operating System and Applications up to Date
Most people are guilty of putting off or ignoring operating system and app updates, but doing so on a regular basis can expose you to a data breach. Hackers understand how to identify and exploit system vulnerabilities; as those vulnerabilities are disclosed to the company, improvements are made to improve security and eliminate weaknesses. The longer you wait to update your phone or laptop, the more out-of-date your systems become, making you a more attractive target for hackers.
10. Two-factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is one of the least popular security options because, as the name implies, it necessitates an additional step. It does, however, provide another strong barrier to accessing your private information, and two-factor authentication is much easier to use now (thanks to biometric scanners and save-password features) than it was previously.
11. Control App Permissions
Examine the apps on your phone to see if they have more permissions than they require to do their job. Apps can be granted permissions such as access to the camera, microphone, contacts, and location. Keep track of which permissions you’ve granted to which apps and revoke any that are no longer required.
For iPhones, go to Settings and then Privacy to see a list of all permissions and the apps to which you’ve granted them. In some Android versions, app permissions can be found in the Application Manager under Device > Application.
12. Antivirus Apps
Malware is commonly used by hackers to steal passwords and account information. There are numerous antivirus apps for smartphones, some of which are linked to companion desktop apps.
These improve security by ensuring that any apps, PDFs, images, or other files you download aren’t infected with malware before you open them. Such threats can be stopped by antivirus software such as Avast, McAfee, and Panda.
13. Do Not Respond To Spam Or Phishing Emails
One of the simplest ways for hackers to gain access to your company’s data is through your employees’ email inboxes. Even major corporations have experienced data breaches as a result of phishing scams.
Incorporate email security training into your basic onboarding procedure, and make sure employees understand that they should not click on links in promotional emails, open suspicious attachments, or run updates prompted by email.