By Projo.com
That wonderful little gadget you can’t live without — the phone in your pocket or purse — isn’t just for talking anymore. But all the great things it can do come with a price, a price many of us aren’t aware of.
That smartphone is really a computer, a personal computer that has jumped off your lap (or your desk) and into your pocket. And with it came all your confidential information, including bank account and credit card numbers, passwords, phone numbers, e-mail contacts and web history.
Securing this wealth of sensitive information is a must.
Apple’s iPhone, launched in January 2007, serves as the classic smartphone with its large range of apps. Google’s Android has surged ahead in popularity in recent months with Research in Motion’s Blackberry making up the big three of the smartphone world.
For all three, the ultimate security is the common sense advice to treat your smartphone as you would your purse or wallet and keep it close by at all times.
But everyone occasionally misplaces a valuable item. This is particularly common when traveling and in public places such as airports, bus and train stations and hotels where thieves tend to operate, according to computerworld.com. Pay particular attention when it goes into the x-ray machine and make sure to retrieve it quickly.
The most important security measure for all three platforms is to lock out access with passwords, passcodes (numbers only, as on the iPhone) or patterns (as on the Android), according to cio.com. This will stop the average thief. And if a thief repeatedly tries to break in, you can set the phone to erase, or wipe, all its data after a certain number of failed attempts to break the code. (Just make sure your data is backed up!)
You can also set the length of time before the lock is activated, with options ranging from immediate to a few hours. Having the lock activate the second you put your smartphone down is super secure, but do you want to enter your password or passcode every time you pick up the phone? A good idea when traveling, perhaps, but a longer grace period would be easier to live with day to day.
If your smartphone is lost, Android offers the ability to display your name and contact information on the home screen so a Good Samaritan can contact you. Actually, a simple note taped to the back is just as effective. Providing such information could also allow you to negotiate with a thief if he or she wants a reward for its return.
You should also disconnect both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are not using them, according to macworld.com. Thieves use both technologies to hack into phones, especially in public places. It also saves battery life.
That wonderful little gadget you can’t live without — the phone in your pocket or purse — isn’t just for talking anymore. But all the great things it can do come with a price, a price many of us aren’t aware of.
That smartphone is really a computer, a personal computer that has jumped off your lap (or your desk) and into your pocket. And with it came all your confidential information, including bank account and credit card numbers, passwords, phone numbers, e-mail contacts and web history.
Securing this wealth of sensitive information is a must.
Apple’s iPhone, launched in January 2007, serves as the classic smartphone with its large range of apps. Google’s Android has surged ahead in popularity in recent months with Research in Motion’s Blackberry making up the big three of the smartphone world.
For all three, the ultimate security is the common sense advice to treat your smartphone as you would your purse or wallet and keep it close by at all times.
But everyone occasionally misplaces a valuable item. This is particularly common when traveling and in public places such as airports, bus and train stations and hotels where thieves tend to operate, according to computerworld.com. Pay particular attention when it goes into the x-ray machine and make sure to retrieve it quickly.
The most important security measure for all three platforms is to lock out access with passwords, passcodes (numbers only, as on the iPhone) or patterns (as on the Android), according to cio.com. This will stop the average thief. And if a thief repeatedly tries to break in, you can set the phone to erase, or wipe, all its data after a certain number of failed attempts to break the code. (Just make sure your data is backed up!)
You can also set the length of time before the lock is activated, with options ranging from immediate to a few hours. Having the lock activate the second you put your smartphone down is super secure, but do you want to enter your password or passcode every time you pick up the phone? A good idea when traveling, perhaps, but a longer grace period would be easier to live with day to day.
If your smartphone is lost, Android offers the ability to display your name and contact information on the home screen so a Good Samaritan can contact you. Actually, a simple note taped to the back is just as effective. Providing such information could also allow you to negotiate with a thief if he or she wants a reward for its return.
You should also disconnect both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are not using them, according to macworld.com. Thieves use both technologies to hack into phones, especially in public places. It also saves battery life.
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