Smartphones have become the technological extension of human beings. Our smartphones record our lives through contacts, calendars, photos, and videos. It makes perfect sense then that cybercrime is one of smartphone owners’ biggest security threats.
According to experts, using secure passwords for your smartphones is one of the best ways to avoid cyberattacks. It’s proen that when managing different applications, social networks, and platforms, the most frequent thing smartphone owners do is to use the same password in various services; some of them are reflected in this infographic on common passwords.
For example, to generate more secure passwords, it is advisable to use at least 15 characters and avoid using personal information such as birthdays and the name of your pet.
Specialists say that if users have a problem memorizing all their passwords, the best solution would be to create a sequence of base words and add a different one in each profile, and users should change their passwords at least once a year.
Also, among the most neglected issues in mobile cybersecurity is email. Through emails, hackers use hacking apps and phishing techniques to trick people into providing confidential information or clicking on malicious links.
It is easier to fall into the trap because only the sender’s name appears on the mobile. This makes it easier to forge messages and trick a person into believing that an email is from someone they know.
We cannot fail to mention messaging apps and text messages, where hackers often use phishing methods to acquire private data about the user’s bank accounts.
Product offers and advertisements, subscription alerts, or dubious contacts from anonymous users are threats within the applications, social networks, streaming platforms, and online video games behind which cyber scams and phishing or smishing attack attempts, among others, can hide.
In the case of messages from unknown sources, it is crucial to communicate with the entity that supposedly sent it through its official channels to verify its authenticity. Omitting this type of communication is also an option, but reporting it will allow other people to avoid suffering from any violation of their privacy.
Other recurring dangers have to do with the relationship of users with applications. Many people do not download apps from official and trusted sites, which exposes them to malicious apps.
It’s important to know that the official stores such as Play Store, App Store, and AppGallery have filters to remove unofficial apps. In addition, several scientific studies suggest that 80% of users do not look at the conditions and permissions of applications before downloading them.
This leaves their cybersecurity vulnerable by allowing many hackers access to different apps such as the camera, microphone, gallery, and contacts. Aware of this, smartphone brands and operating systems have been implementing measures in recent years to make the permissions granted to apps increasingly more transparent.
App updates must develop this process to correct errors with patches or add new functions. This will give the user a better service experience and greater security when accessing them.
Therefore, it is essential that mobile applications, especially those that store personal information, are duly updated to the latest version. This can be done manually through the operating system’s app store, or it can also be configured so that the applications are updated automatically, either with a Wi-Fi network or with any Internet source.
Like computers, mobile devices are also attacked by viruses and other harmful elements, usually from applications developed by little-known companies. To combat them, there are several well-known antivirus software on the market.
The offer is such that there are even free and paid versions with excellent functions. Even though many of these antivirus apps consume a large part of the device’s battery and resources, it is never too much to make the user feel safe.
Connecting the smartphone to a hotel, coffee shop or airport WiFi network also threatens cell phones.
Experts recommend that in order to prevent these automatic connections from occurring, smartphone users should configure their devices to ask for permission before connecting to a wireless network.
Insecure passwords, malicious applications or applications with excess permissions or lack of protection measures. The reality is that the world of mobile cybersecurity is still in its infancy and shows the need for greater awareness among citizens.
Therefore, users must generate security and prevention habits with their mobile devices beyond the technical and technological aspects. This way, more layers of protection are created to prevent information theft or leakage and allow safe web surfing.
