Most people carry invaluable data within their pockets. If you’re walking down the street with your cellphone on you, you likely have valuable information stored on your cellular device. As technology advances, smartphones have become increasingly widespread. One of the reasons for their global adoption is the variety of features they offer. Smartphones have become integral to most people’s lives, and as a result, they often house valuable data on them.
Whether it’s work details or personal information, there’s a high probability that your smartphone has some records stored on it. Moreover, as e-commerce continues to grow, many people are using their phones to perform transactions. Carrying out transactions via your phone means that you’ve inputted your credit card details into your device. In addition, many people also use their smartphones for mobile banking purposes. Mobile banking allows people to pay utility bills and more with a single touch on their screens.
However, storing all this information on your smartphone also makes it a prime target for hackers. Hackers aim to steal people’s data and exploit it for their gain, making it essential that you safeguard your phone.
Protecting your phone from hackers can be a challenging endeavor. Although it’s impossible to guarantee that your phone will be safe from hacking attempts, you can take measures to ensure that it’s protected, ensuring that hackers have to face a struggle when trying to access your information.
Protecting Your Phone from Hackers
According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime will cost the world more than $6 trillion by 2021. Cybercrime is a growing issue that needs addressing. However, statistics show that catching hackers is a strenuous task, meaning it’s better to adopt a proactive approach to ensure your data isn’t susceptible to hacking attempts. Here are some ways you can protect your phone from hackers:
Updating Your OS
Many of us often ignore the notifications indicating that it’s time to update our OS. However, you should consider updating your phone’s operating system as soon as the notification pings if you want to keep it safe. Software companies are regularly working on bug fixes and software updates to increase your phone’s safety features. Moreover, companies introduce an update to address safety breaches that were prominent in the previous software iteration, making it essential you update your phone immediately.
Avoid Public Wi-Fi
If you want to ensure your privacy, you must avoid using public Wi-Fi. It can be tempting to connect to public Wi-Fi in a mall or a restaurant, public Wi-Fi’s incredibly susceptible to data leaks. Typically, information transfers between two computers on a private network. However, on a public network, data is available for everyone to see. Therefore, many hackers attempt to steal information from people accessing the internet on an open connection.
Lock Your Phone
We recommend implementing a lock screen on your phone because it can prevent access to others. Avoid using simple lock passwords and patterns. Instead, opt for something more secure like facial recognition or fingerprint recognition. Moreover, you can also use complicated passwords to ensure that nobody else can access your phone. It’s common for phones to slip out of pockets, and if your phone doesn’t have a lock on it, anyone can access your information. Furthermore, you might also forget your phone in public, and without a locking system, your information would be at risk.
Get a Smartphone from a Leading Cellphone Service Provider
Assuming you’ve made it this far, you’ll have understood both the importance of cellphones and the need to protect your smartphones from hacking attempts. While smartphone adoption may be increasing, some people in the United States still don’t have access to one. Smartphones can be an expensive investment, often extending beyond the means of many people. If you fall into that category, we recommend applying for a cellphone assistance program. These government-assisted programs provide free cellphone service to low-income people.
Life Link Today is a leading cellphone service provider for people in these programs. We serve individuals across the 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Visit our website to sign up for free cellphone service today.
