Smartphones have become a single source for payment, work, productivity, personal health, texting, and social media. They are used for everything in our lives—from directions to new places and paying your tab to sending an email about an important work initiative. Using your smartphone as a main source of personal information presents incredible personal and professional risks.

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Here are some tips to help keep your mobile device and your personal and corporate data safe:

• Keep the operating system current: According to a recent report, nearly 6% of all mobile devices are active in bot attacks. It may seem like a small amount, but worldwide there are currently more than 5 billion people with mobile devices. Always keeping your device on the most current operating system version must become table stakes in today’s world.
• Back-up your data: More and more mobile devices are being leveraged as a main computing platform for workers. In turn, the value of the data generated and stored by these devices has exponentially increased. This is why it is very important to ensure that you back up the data on your mobile devices. Whether it’s automated backups to your cloud service or synchronizing with a computer, the data on your devices should be securely backed up on a periodic basis.
• Use two-factor authentication: Mobile devices aren’t just tools for carrying on conversations and generating data; they’re also keys to your personal and corporate application kingdom. Your individual applications and services should be set up to require more than a simple password to access, many times leveraging your mobile device as the second factor in the authentication scheme.
• Update privacy settings: If you want to view or change your privacy/security settings, but don’t know where to find them, use this great resource from NCSA to manage your privacy tool. Be sure to update your privacy settings on popular devices and online services.
• Keep an eye on apps: Your mobile device could be filled with apps running in the background or using default permissions you never realized you approved. Remember, nothing in life is free, so beware of free apps and games. Those apps could be gathering personal information without you even knowing, while also putting your identity and privacy in jeopardy. Check your app permissions and delete any apps that you don’t need or use.

Browsing on your mobile device? Make sure it’s not running suspicious #apps or using permissions you didn’t realize you approved. #BeCyberSmart #CyberAware

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