I am always ON. I am always online. I help you access your emails, messages, IMs, Chat, Blog, Social Network, make friends, and do office jobs. I am your mobile phone, your tablet.

And, remember “I am always ON. Always Online”.

Mobile devices have become both integral and ubiquitous in everyone’s lives, and so they have attracted the interest of criminal hackers eager to steal vital information.

It doesn’t matter if you have an Android or an iOS device, security of a mobile device should be a prime concern for any individual who wants o protect valuable information, data, and device hardware.

Attackers have been able to find their way inside mobile devices through malicious links, applications and have been successfully able to plant malicious application programs in mobile devices to steal sensitive and valuable data. Some attackers have designed mobile applications embedded with malicious code, hiding the intent behind the innocent mask of utility applications.

F1 Source: www.pixabay.com

How malware affects your phone?

Malware can wreak havoc with your mobile. It can make mobile applications crash and cause your phone to overheat. Perhaps more alarmingly, android viruses can cost you money and personal data. Left unchecked, malware can subscribe phones to scam premium services, sending those messages and racking up huge bills.

Malware can also collect personal data such as banking information and use this to steal your money. It can even send hackers recordings of your private phone calls for blackmail.

What should you take care of?

All smartphone devices have three basic elements of security that are, Device Protection, Data Protection, and App Management Security. Smartphone security depends not only on the phones but also on the mobile device management (MDM) technology installed on company servers, that controls and manages device security. Both must work together to provide good security.

F2 source: www.pxfuel.com

The top threats that mobile devices face these days are related to:

• Unintentional Data Leakage through malicious applications whom we grant Broadway of permission without thinking of the risk it comes with. An immense amount of business data is leaked every day through the insecure application access granted by users unknowingly that their data has been exposed to hostility.
• Insecure Public Wi-Fi connections are often used by people to enjoy free data services that prove to be a costly affair when dealing with device security. Most malicious codes enter the stream through the insecure channels we left open ourselves.
• Phishing Attacks are more prominent with mobile devices as the smartphone is an “always-on” device and stay online almost all the time since we have cheaper data services available from mobile network providers and has increased use of broadband Wi-Fi systems at all business locations.
• Spyware programs added from near and dear ones like family members, friends, and colleagues allow these spyware applications to communicate and share data with its owner.
• Weak Cryptography applied during application design and production to speed up the development process also makes breaking into the application security system a piece of cake for attackers.

A common way to understand that your mobile device security has been compromised is to check some common symptoms that include unrecognized apps, high data usage, battery juice drainage, the device is overheating or unwanted pop-up windows in the browser.

How can I make my devices safe against attacks?

To avoid malware in Android devices (most common in smartphones), we can follow the given advice to mitigate the risk and allow applications to perform in a much-intended manner. Some of the remedial and protective measures are:

• Using mobile anti-virus software
• Do not download apps from unknown sources
• Check permissions requested by apps
• Do not click unknown or unverified links
• Keep your device OS and apps updated with the latest security patches
• Avoid online shopping and banking within public networks

F3 Source: www.quoteinspector.com

Taking few measures and being vigilant can help us a lot in keeping our data safe, avoiding spyware activities, mitigating the risk of being prey to attackers, and enhance the security of our devices safeguarding business and personal information from being stolen and misused.

Happy Reading!

Edunet Foundation