Smartphone security: Why it matters

We are all going mobile. It could be a smartphone, an iPad, or some other handheld device, but we are increasingly living our always-connected lives on-the-go.

Whether we are working, checking our bank account balances, playing a few games, or just surfing the Web, we are becoming more dependent on mobile technology – and consequently more vulnerable. Because wherever our phone or tablet goes, so goes our data and online privacy.

Contacts, credit card information, e-mail – all the sensitive data that we thought was secured on our PCs at home or at work is slowly getting transferred to our mobile devices, except this time there is no security software to keep us safe.

These are some of the more common mobile security threats that we now face:

Malware

Infected apps are probably the number one source of malware on smartphones and tablets. This is particularly true of devices running the open Android platform. In the rush to compete with Apple’s App Store, thousands of early apps were uploaded to the Google Play store with very little scrutiny. Consequently, many of them are infected with viruses or contain permissions that can open up our phones to malware and data theft.

Phishing e-mails and texts

Most smartphone e-mail and texting platforms do not have the spam filters that are now standard in PC-based programs, and the spammers and phishers have been quick to take advantage. Bogus and unsafe links often look less threatening and receive far less scrutiny when they are viewed on a smartphone screen rather than on a PC.

Spyware

GPS tracking software and other mobile surveillance programs have now reached a very high level of sophistication. The same “spyware” that allows parents to monitor their kids whereabouts, e-mails and texting habits can be used to stalk or spy on adult users. Many programs can be installed without the owner of the mobile device knowing and can run undetected indefinitely.

While there are common sense moves that we can make to protect ourselves – don’t leave an unlocked phone lying around; don’t click on suspicious links – there is also help at hand via smartphone security tools. Security software can combine anti-theft defenses with virus and spam protection to provide a much-needed level of comfort as we become more invested in the mobile world.

As well as providing real-time virus scanning and advanced firewall protection, mobile security software can block unwanted calls and texts, provide privacy features, and even disable or “clean” a phone of sensitive data if it is lost or stolen.

We’ve spent so much time and effort securing our desktops and laptops, it would be a shame to undo all that hard work by leaving our smartphones unprotected.

Comments:

  1. Thanks for finally writing about > Smartphone security:
    Why it matters – The Online Mom < Liked it!

  3. В каталоге Vulkan – богатый выбор игровых
    автоматов (свыше двух тысяч). Игроки имеют возможность включить автоматы в одном из двух доступных режимов
    – демонстрационный или стандартный.

    Авторизованные клиенты принимают участие в бонусной программе.
    Они имеют доступ к различным мероприятиям.
    Зарегистрированные пользователи также принимают участие
    при разыгрывании джекпота. С
    помощью мобильного клиента и зеркального сайта клуба удается гарантировать стабильность
    игры и исключить вероятные блокировки.

  4. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it
    for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would
    like to know where u got this from. kudos

  5. Someone essentially assist to make significantly posts I’d state.
    That is the very first time I frequented your website page and to
    this point? I surprised with the analysis you made to create this actual put up extraordinary.
    Excellent job!

  7. It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate to this brilliant
    blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
    I look forward to brand new updates and will talk about this site with
    my Facebook group. Talk soon!

  9. hello!,I really like your writing very so much!
    proportion we keep up a correspondence extra approximately your
    post on AOL? I require a specialist in this area to unravel my
    problem. May be that’s you! Looking forward to see you.

  10. On mahtavaa vierailla tällä verkkosivulla ja lukea kaikkien ystävien näkemyksiä tästä kappaleesta, samalla kun olen myös innokas oppimaan tietotaitoa.

  12. This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.
    I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your
    magnificent post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks!

  13. Cool blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
    A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog jump
    out. Please let me know where you got your design. Many thanks

  14. My programmer is trying to persuade me to move
    to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the
    idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less.
    I’ve been using Movable-type on various websites for about a year
    and am worried about switching to another platform.

    I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all
    my wordpress content into it? Any kind of help would be
    really appreciated!

  17. Hey there! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new apple iphone!

    Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts!

    Carry on the excellent work!

  18. We’re a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme
    in our community. Your site provided us with valuable information to work on. You have done a formidable job and our entire community
    will be thankful to you.

  19. Howdy, I believe your site may be having internet browser compatibility issues.

    Whenever I look at your website in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in I.E.,
    it’s got some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with
    a quick heads up! Aside from that, great blog!

  20. Excellent post. I used to be checking constantly this weblog and I am inspired!
    Extremely useful information specifically the closing part 🙂 I care for such information a lot.
    I used to be looking for this certain info for a long
    time. Thank you and best of luck.

  26. We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
    Your website offered us with valuable info to work on. You have done a formidable job and our whole
    community will be thankful to you.

  27. Definitely consider that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be at the net the simplest factor to keep in mind of.
    I say to you, I definitely get annoyed whilst folks consider concerns that they just don’t
    understand about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side effect
    , other people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more.
    Thanks

  35. Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers?
    I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any recommendations?

  36. Hi everyone, it’s my first visit at this web page, and piece
    of writing is in fact fruitful for me, keep up posting such posts.

  38. magnificent issues altogether, you simply gained a new reader.

    What could you recommend about your submit that you just made
    a few days ago? Any sure?

  39. I’d like to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog.
    I really hope to view the same high-grade content from you later on as well.

    In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my
    own blog now 😉

  42. Thanks for the good writeup. It in truth used to be a
    entertainment account it. Glance complicated to more brought agreeable
    from you! By the way, how can we keep in touch?

  50. Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads
    up. The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Internet
    explorer. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do
    with browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know.
    The style and design look great though! Hope you get the issue solved soon. Thanks

  51. Admiring the hard work you put into your website and in depth information you present.
    It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same outdated
    rehashed information. Great read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google
    account.

  53. When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now
    each time a comment is added I get four emails with
    the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
    Cheers!

  54. Great work! That is the type of information that should be shared around
    the internet. Disgrace on the search engines for no longer
    positioning this publish upper! Come on over and talk
    over with my site . Thanks =)

  55. I absolutely love your blog.. Very nice colors & theme.
    Did you make this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m
    attempting to create my very own website and would like to know where you got this from
    or just what the theme is called. Thank you!

  56. Hey! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post
    reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept chatting about this.
    I will forward this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read.

    Many thanks for sharing!

  58. Its such as you read my mind! You seem to grasp a lot about this, like you wrote the e-book in it or something.
    I feel that you simply can do with a few p.c. to drive
    the message home a bit, however other than that, this
    is great blog. An excellent read. I’ll definitely be back.

  59. Wonderful goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely
    wonderful. I really like what you have acquired here, really
    like what you’re stating and the way in which you say it.
    You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart.
    I can not wait to read far more from you.
    This is actually a great web site.

  61. Howdy! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I came to look it over.
    I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
    Outstanding blog and wonderful design.

  62. Simply desire to say your article is as astounding. The clarity on your publish is just
    nice and that i could think you’re an expert on this
    subject. Well together with your permission allow me to
    grab your feed to keep updated with approaching
    post. Thank you one million and please continue the rewarding work.

  66. Hello to every body, it’s my first pay a quick visit of this blog; this blog carries remarkable and genuinely fine data in support of readers.

  67. Having read this I believed it was really enlightening.
    I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this informative article together.
    I once again find myself personally spending a lot of time both reading and commenting.
    But so what, it was still worthwhile!

  70. I’m genuinely impressed by your recent blog post. The way you weave together facts with your personal insights is both informative and inspiring. Your passion for the subject shines through in every paragraph, making it a compelling read from start to finish. I especially appreciated how you addressed [specific topic or point from the post], as it gave me a new perspective. Thanks for sharing your expertise and experiences – your work is a valuable addition to the conversation on this topic. Eagerly awaiting your next post where can i buy viagra.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended Articles

ID Theft and Your Children

7 Steps to Smartphone Safety

7 Good Smartphone Security Habits

Make Safety a Priority For Younger Phone Users

7 Steps to Improved Online Security