Our quick guide to mobile security

In today’s world, our handheld devices have become lifelines of a sort. We conduct our online banking on mobile apps, we make major purposes from our mobile browsers, we let our devices remember our credit card details, and much more.

In short, the amount of trust we place in our devices is tremendous. But unfortunately, we don’t always pay enough heed to the basics of cybersecurity.

In 2020, the threat landscape (to borrow a term from cybersecurity parlance) is more dynamic and troublesome than ever before. Securing your mobile device is key if you want to protect both your personal data and financial data. 

With that in mind, here’s our quick guide to solid mobile security:

1. Use a VPN

Get a reliable Virtual Private Network (VPN) subscription to protect your device from the perils of open wifi networks. What VPNs do is to ensure two critical things:

• You are browsing on a private network that others can’t detect
• Your data transmissions, both incoming and outgoing, are encrypted making them difficult if not impossible to intercept

You should avoid public wifi networks like the plague, but if you must connect to your mobile to open wifi, always use a VPN.

2. Verify the authenticity of apps

Every year, thousands of users succumb to the dangers of fraudulent mobile apps. Often, these are banking apps designed by hackers to steal both your financial data and money.

While both Google and Apple’s dedicated app stores have barriers in place to try and weed out dodgy programs, the reality is that some slip through the cracks. To avoid falling victim, follow these basic app download rules:

• You should only ever download apps from either of these two official stores or from Huawei’s AppGallery
• Watch out for the tell-tale signs of a fraudulent app including poor grammar and branding that seems a little “off”
• Don’t follow links in emails or text messages that prompt you to download an app

3. Use appropriate malware and virus protection

Both Android and Apple users need antivirus and antimalware protection. While there is a greater risk to Android users, devices running iOS are not immune to malware and viruses, despite the commonly held belief they are automatically protected.

A solid antivirus and antimalware program is recommended for all mobile device users.

Taking the three steps above could mean the difference between a secure mobile device and a compromised one. With the amount of faith (and data) we put in our phones, it only stands to reason that we take a few easy steps to protect them.