A concerning trend that has coincided with the rise of internet usage in the modern world has been the notable increase in cyber crime. Sadly, cybercriminals are thriving these days and use a variety of unscrupulous methods to obtain our sensitive data, most of which is stored on a smartphone device. In fact, an online attack, such as phone hacking, can happen to anyone.
These days, given the rise in online criminals, people need to place a great deal of emphasis on keeping their miniature handheld devices protected. Cybercriminals are constantly evolving and looking at new ways in which they can compromise smartphone devices. Sometimes it’s disturbingly easy for online criminals to access your personal information.
For example, one minute you could be updating your social media status or tucking into Skywind casino games like Amazon Lady and Explosion, only to open up an email with little thought, which, in turn, compromises your smartphone and opens you up to a variety of spooky crimes. It really is that easy, therefore making it crucial to invest time and effort into creating a solid defence system for your mobile phone. With that in mind, let’s assess some ways to make it much harder for online criminals.
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Use both a VPN and antivirus
In order to give yourself a double layer of protection, a sure-fire way to put cybercriminals off is by pairing a VPN with an antivirus. A VPN will not only enable you to conceal your IP address, but the additional antivirus software will then detect any malicious software from harming your phone. After all, we all surf the internet on our smartphones these days, therefore opening up the potential of clicking a dangerous link.
Always update your OS and apps
It can be easy to get lost in the everyday functionalities a modern-day smartphone provides without regularly updating the operating system and apps that help it to function. Should this occur, though, then your device will become susceptible to attacks. As such, always make sure that both your operating system and apps are working and are regularly updated.
Only download from trusted sources
As we touched on earlier, the internet is a remarkable place full of websites to click on and people to talk to. Sadly, though, not everything and everyone operating online is necessarily safe and secure. With that in mind, always be careful where you’re downloading material from and only use trusted sources. Most trustworthy apps, for instance, are only available via the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, or other trustworthy platforms. If you aren’t sure what you’re about to download, then don’t download it.
Use a password manager
To fight off online criminals, it pays to have a solid password. In order to create a reliable and strong password and have a home to hide all passwords, consider purchasing a password manager. They’re easy to use, highly effective, and are a nightmare for hackers. After all, the more complex your password, the less likely you are to be hacked.
Beware of spam and phishing emails
In the same way that we should all be wary of what exactly we’re downloading online, we should also pay attention to the emails we receive. Somewhat depressingly, spam and phishing emails are incredibly common these days. Therefore, if an email looks suspicious, don’t open it. Also, don’t click on a link within a suspicious email, and be sure to mark any dodgy emails as spam or junk.
Other things to do include learning how to lock or wipe your phone remotely and setting up two-factor authentication on your device.
