It’s an exciting time of the year unwrapping that new smart phone or tablet and charging up the batteries for its first test run. But there are 7 Christmas tips you need to keep in mind before taking your smartphone or tablet on its first test drive:
- Security: treat it like you would your computer, ensure you have antivirus installed on your device. It contains a LOT of personal information, and you probably use it for online purchases or online banking you need to ensure you keep it safe.
- Pins & Passwords: ensure you have a pin or password set on your device AND your SIM. This will ensure if your phone is lost that thieves cannot make phone calls from it.
- WIFI & Bluetooth: ensure you are connecting to safe networks, try and use a network that is encrypted and requires a password to access it. And ensure you turn off Bluetooth when you are not using it. You would be surprise how clever thieves can be accessing your information via WIFI and Bluetooth networks.
- Recycling your old phone: ensure that ALL information is completely removed from your phone before recycling it. Remember your phone contains a lot of personal information about you.
- Foreign links or emails: ensure you do not click on any unknown links or emails, it is likely they contain malicious software.
- More than a phone: todays smartphones are almost like your wallet always keep it with you. They are also a form of computer and you should take all of the same precautions you would with your computer.
- Stay within reputable websites: be cautious with your web surfing ensure you stay within reputable websites.
You can find out more smartphone and tablet security tips at scamwatch.gov.au
Don’t forget ‘Find my Iphone’ and the Prey project (http://preyproject.com/)
Be careful about what apps you install on the things too, there have been a number of nefarious apps that have made their way on to the android marketplace.
Comment by Adam — December 7, 2011 @ 9:58 pm
@Adam that’s a good point. Everyone should be wary about what apps they install. It’s important for everyone to remember to regularly update their phone’s operating system so it’s as secure as possible, and to make sure you only download apps from official online stores or from a source you trust, for example, your own credit union or bank.
If anyone has got any doubts about an application, they shouldn’t download it. Another tip is to look at user reviews to check whether the app is legitimate, or whether it might be something that a scammer is trying to offload onto you (the more positive reviews the better). You should also perform a quick Google search of the app name or publisher to see what kind of results come up. If there are few or no results, you should be wary of installing the app. You can also get antivirus software for smartphones too so you should consider obtaining this from a reputable provider. ^BM Risk & Compliance Manager
Comment by We're Listening — December 8, 2011 @ 11:28 am