How to Protect Yourself from Cybercrime
With cybercrime on the rise, it’s becoming increasingly important to take preventative measures to keep yourself safe from digital theft and other malicious online activity.
To make sure you’re properly protected, here are 7 steps you can take to keep your phone safe and secure.
7 Effective Tips to Keep You Safe from Cybercrime
- Create a strong PIN
Just like locking your house at night allows you to stay safe in your home, it’s important to create a strong PIN so that hackers can’t easily get into your phone. That means not choosing easy-to-guess PINS like 123456, 111111, or even your birthday. Instead, think of something that you would remember but is difficult for others to guess, and avoid sharing your PIN with anyone else.
- Use additional security features
In addition to creating a strong PIN, many phones allow you to add face identification or fingerprint verification for extra security to ensure that nobody can access your phone unless you’re present.
- Learn to spot suspicious activity
One of the most common and dangerous threats you face on your phone is falling for hackers trying to get you to give up your information, otherwise known as phishing attacks. Things to look for if you suspect phishing are messages asking for your login or financial information, use of wrong email addresses or incorrect URLs, dramatic messages, and any messages that sound too good to be true.
- Turn off WiFi and bluetooth in public spaces
Using public WiFi and Bluetooth offers convenience but may inadvertently allow others to access information on your phone. If you need to connect to WiFi in public, make sure it’s a secure network.
- Safeguard your device
If your phone gets into the wrong hands, cybercriminals can find a way to bypass your phone’s security system. That’s why the biggest step you can take to safeguard your phone is to make sure you never leave it exposed in a public space, even if it’s just to charge it for a couple of minutes at an airport or restaurant.
- Install wiping software
One of the best proactive measures you can take to protect your personal information is to install wiping software on your phone. This way, if your device is ever stolen or lost, you can at least remotely wipe any personal data from your phone.
- Keep your phone updated
When cybercriminals strike, they usually target software that’s outdated. To prevent this, developers will regularly roll out updates to protect gadgets like your phone from the latest threats. So, be sure to install the latest version of apps and operating system on your phone.
To learn more about potential cybercrime threats and how to stay safe, check out CellPhoneDeals blog on cell phone security.
