5 Ways To Secure Your Smartphone Data From Hackers

Last Updated: April 3rd, 2017

Data Security and Privacy is of major concern for smartphones with the rise of malicious malware. Our smartphones store valuable information which includes Bank details, credit card data, personal information such as social security number and driver’s license. You can be a victim of a data breach or ID theft if you lose your smartphone or it gets stolen. Do you know about Medical Identity Theft?

Let us go through ways to secure data on your smartphone against hackers.

5 Ways To Secure Your Smartphone Data From Hackers

1. Stay Away From Public Wi-Fi

Many of us are in a habit of using public Wi-Fi at airports or coffee shops to surf web, using public Wi-Fi to make banking transactions or using a credit card can make you an easy bait to cyber criminals. If you are using a public Wi-Fi make sure that you don’t do any banking transaction or use a credit card.

Use a Virtual Private Network while using a public Wi-Fi to assess private data on your mobile. There are many free VPN clients available which you can try. You can also go through tips to stay secure on Public Wi-Fi.

Best Security Apps For iPhone, iPad 

Protect Your Android Device

2. Lock Your Smartphone

To protect your phone data and yourself from cyber criminals make sure to lock your device. Lock your device with a password, PIN or fingerprint swipe. If you are iPhone user make sure to lock screen using a 6-digit Passcode. Set auto-lock feature to be shorter of 30 seconds inactivity. Passwords should be strong which cannot be cracked easily.

3.  Install Trusted Apps 

Apps which we install our phone may be infected or have security loopholes which can lead to data theft. One should always have a habit of deleting apps from the smartphone which is not used anymore. iPhone users can delete apps by pressing and holding down any icon until all the icons begin to jiggle and then tap the cross (x) in the upper-left corner of the app which you want to delete.

Also, automatically update apps on your iPhone or Android smartphone. To do so on iPhone- Go to the Settings >> iTunes & App Store >> Updates to ON.

Android – Go to Settings in Play Store >> Auto-updates Apps 

Remember to download apps only from iTunes or Google Play Store and don’t download apps asking unnecessary permissions.

12 Best Android Apps You Should Install Right Now

Must Have Free iPhone Apps

4. Update Operating System Of Your Smartphone

Be smart and don’t play into the hands of cyber criminals, keep the Operating System of your smartphone up to date with the latest software update. The software updates include bugs fixes and security patches, make sure that you don’t do delay in installing these updates.

To update your iPhone to the latest iOS version-

Go to Settings and then tap on General.

Tap on Software Update.

Install the latest iOS update.

5. Remote Wiping a Lost or Stolen Smartphone 

God forbid if you lose your smartphone or it gets stolen remotely wipe the data to prevent loss of sensitive data. iPhone users can activate Find My iPhone to track the location of iPhone and wipe its data remotely.

Go to the Settings >> iCloud >> Find my iPhone >> ON.

Android users can use Android Device Manager App to do the same.

You can follow the above ways to secure data on your smartphone against hackers.