Having access to a smartphone is no more a luxury. We have over a billion android devices all around the world. But with increased privacy and data concerns, there is a need to safeguard your android device.
The focus of this blog post is on how to keep your android device secure from cyber threats.
Let’s dive into more details.
What Causes Cyber Threats?
Since their invention in 1994, smartphones have made our lives easier and smarter. However, our increased dependency on them has also given way to several kinds of cyber and identity threats.
Let us now look at certain factors that have made your smartphone vulnerable in the face of such online threats:
- Smartphones contain sensitive information in the form of passwords and credit card information.
- Emails, texts, and software scams are difficult to identify and avoid.
- The absence of a mobile security system can pave the way for hackers and viruses to gather your information.
- Having outdated applications on your phone can make your phone vulnerable to hacking attempts and other security exploits.
Since online security issues are on the rise, many companies take vantage of PTaaS to improve their online security. Penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) is a cloud service that provides information technology (IT) professionals with the resources they need to conduct and act upon point-in-time and continuous penetration tests.
Ways to Keep Your Phone Protected
Due to the tremendous increase in malicious online threats, it is very important that you take the necessary steps to stand guard against them. In this section, we shall be focusing our attention on various methods, which you can easily adopt to keep your phone protected.
1. Software and Apps
One of the most used methods by cyber attackers is to hijack your device by getting in through installed software and apps. Here is how hackers make use of this method:
- Installation of malware on your smartphone to gain illegal access to your data.
- Using tracking methods to access your browsing history and steal records of your most visited websites.
- Taking advantage of permissions,given to apps, to download malicious aspects in your device.
In order to avoid such negative results, smartphone manufacturers recommend the installation of security software programs on your device. These applications take the form of antivirus, anti-malware, cleaners etc., which can safeguard your phone against cyber-attacks.
- Install the Best Malware Removal Tool
While Google has been consistent in releasing Android software updates to push the latest security patches, one still needs to be vigilant. There are a number of malware removal tools for Android.
However, based on the tests conducted by Android professionals, the best Android antivirus applications to harden your Android device security are the following:
- Bitdefender Mobile Security: $15/year with no free version. It provides top malware protection but its unlimited VPN option might be overpriced.
- Norton Mobile Security: Another allrounder option at $30/year with no free trial. Its App Advisor beats all competition but it lacks an App Lock.
- Avast Mobile Security: Price at $20/year for a regular version and its premium version is worth $40. It also provides a free version, albeit with a number of ads.
- Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus: It has a free version and its premium version is worth $20. It is known for having strong malware protection but its free version does not provide the feature to auto-scan new apps.
All software have their own benefits and drawbacks. Choosing the one that suits your current need the most would be the most logical decision to make.
3. Browse Safely
You might have observed that there are many pop-up adverts present on the internet whenever you visit certain websites. These adverts might contain suspicious links and once clicked, they might download destructive software on your phone.
To browse safely on your smartphone, you can adopt the practices given below:
- Evaluate the websites you visit online and stores you use to download applications.
- Avoid opening emails from unknown senders and from clicking on suspicious links found in emails.
- Conduct an assessment about what other users have reviewed about a software before installing it on your phone.
- Make use of trusted sources like Google Play to install applications on your device.
- only visit websites with an SSL padlock sign.
4. Avoid Using Free Wi-Fi
You might think that getting access to free Wi-Fi is a blessing, but this act can prove to be disastrous for your phone.
Such free-of-cost internet connections are incredibly insecure. Using free W-Fi is never a good idea, specifically for making an online purchase, conducting a financial transaction such as transferring funds or even logging in to Gmail.
Being on the same network as you, they can be able to gain access to almost all the information you are transmitting.
Get a data plan and only browse websites using it. Remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
5. Basic Protection
In order to make sure your phone is completely safe from online threats, you can take into consideration certain basic protection measures. Some of these measures are as listed below:
- Put a pin or password on your phone to keep out those seeking unwanted access.
- Choose a strong password for accounts created online. This will ensure that your password isn’t easily obtained through automated hacking algorithms.
- Report your stolen phone to the law enforcement authorities. This will keep your phone safe from being activated on any wireless network without your consent.
6. Updating System Software and Application Software
Among Android users, only 20% of them update their devices to the newest version. In addition, recent studies have revealed that only 20.94% of Android users are currently using the latest released version of software. The same report indicates Android 10 at 34.17%, making it the most popular version of Android.
Outdated system and application software can serve as gateways for hackers, which allows them to exploit your device.
Experts suggest that using the latest version of an Operating System (OS) can make your device immune to more than three-fourths of potential malware attacks. If you are worried about forgetting software updates, just enable automatic updates.
The Bottom Line
The world of Android devices is indeed full of intimidating threats. However, keeping these threats at bay is as easy as it gets. In case you aren’t able to take many precautions into account, having downloaded a robust mobile security solution is your best bet to stay protected with emerging mobile threats.
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