Given the rise of new smartphone features and apps -- knowing keep your info private is essential.
Cell phones, once simple devices, have transformed into handheld computers, with all the benefits as well as the downsides. Identity thieves aim to get their hands on your smartphone and its personal data, and malicious apps can add charges to your phone bill or steal your personal data. Phones are also vulnerable to eavesdropping, such as on public Wi-Fi networks. Protect yourself and your phone by knowing the risks.
Lost or Stolen Phones
A passcode prevents unauthorized access to your phone, and although it can be removed through a factory reset, this also removes all your personal data. Synchronizing your phone's data with iCloud on iPhone or a Google account on Android allows you to keep your personal data in case your phone is lost or stolen. Remote wipes can also protect your data -- for example, you can use the iCloud website to locate your lost iPhone and remotely wipe its data. A SIM card PIN code can protect unauthorized phone plan usage, because thieves need the PIN code even if they remove the SIM card and place it in another phone.
Malware
Lookout Mobile Security, a manufacturer of security applications for mobile devices, reports that as of June 2011, Android users were more that twice as likely to encounter malware than just six months before. SMS malware, which sends premium-rate text messages in the background and adds additional charges to your phone bill, is particularly dangerous. Antivirus apps, such as Avast! Mobile Security and Lookout Mobile Security for Android, can scan for malicious apps. Lookout also notes that jailbroken iPhones are more vulnerable than non-jailbroken ones, but that there are commercial spyware apps specifically designed for jailbroken iOS devices.
App Dangers
Install apps from sources you trust, particularly on Android. Pay attention to app permissions -- for example, don't install a game that wants permission to send SMS messages; however, permissions such as access to device storage and the network are common and normal. Android prompts you with an app's permissions when you install it. Seemingly trustworthy apps can also abuse your data. For example, the Path social networking app sent users' entire address books to Path's servers without asking until this was discovered in February 2012. Apps can also ask for permission to track your current location, which creates a privacy concern.
Networking Vulnerabilities
Web-based threats such as phishing and eavesdropping on public Wi-Fi traffic also apply to cell phones. Network vulnerabilities aren't limited only to Wi-Fi -- the National Institute of Standards and Technology notes that Bluetooth, commonly used for wireless headsets, is also susceptible to eavesdropping. Performing financial transactions or sending sensitive data, whether on public Wi-Fi or with Bluetooth in a public location, is dangerous. The risks of near-field communication, used by Google Wallet and other mobile payment systems, are unknown, and because it's a new technology, as of February 2012 it isn't being tested by security companies, according to "Time" magazine.
Protecting Your Data
Encryption scrambles your data and requires your passcode to decode it, keeping your data confidential even if your phone is stolen. On the iPhone, you can enable data protection from the Passcode settings screen. On Android devices, you need Android 3.0 for encryption support. Strong passcodes and passwords are important -- on Android, the user's Google password can bypass the lock screen, so a weak Google password can put your phone at risk. Vigilance is the most important part of protecting your data, so in addition to choosing strong passcodes and trustworthy apps, be alert for unusual charges on your phone bill and strange text messages.
Tags: your phone, your data, personal data, charges your, charges your phone, Mobile Security