We all use mobile phones daily and cannot do without them. Many of us save our important files or family photos on our devices. Therefore, it is very important to learn about the most important ways that help us protect our phones from hacking.
The importance of protecting the phone from hacking
When we protect the phone from hacking, we have preserved our privacy, which we do not want to share with the public. Hackers intrude on sensitive information and take a copy of it, to sell it on reputable sites or the dark web. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the phone from hacking, to keep all your information safe. Many reasons lead to hacking. We will mention the most important ways that enable you to make your phone an impregnable fortress for hackers.
Update the system to protect the phone
- It is very important to update your smartphone system regularly because updates fix security bugs and detect vulnerabilities. It is preferable to activate the automatic updates option for your phone.
- Always update the applications you have downloaded on your smartphone. As we mentioned, updates fix many software problems and uncover vulnerabilities.
Install apps from trusted sources
To protect your phone from malware and viruses, always install apps from the phone’s official app store such as Google Play. Avoid downloading apps from untrusted or unknown sources, as this may increase the likelihood of your phone being exposed to security threats. This in turn may lead to your information being stolen without your knowledge. So it is important to avoid suspicious websites and untrusted sources.
Use strong, secure passwords.
You should use difficult-to-guess passwords when you create social media accounts such as Facebook or Instagram. When you do this, you will be able to protect your identity from impersonation and it will become difficult to guess the passwords of your social media accounts. It is recommended not to write weak passwords that are easy to guess such as (12345 or Abcde). Avoid writing your name and personal information that everyone knows. Try to write some uppercase and lowercase letters as well as some numbers and symbols. This way you will protect yourself from Brute Force attacks and others.
When you create a new account on social media sites, activate two-step verification. This feature gives you the advantage of protecting your accounts without worry. This feature enables you to enable an additional step when logging in. This additional step is according to your choice, such as sending a verification code via your phone number or your email. What makes this feature very important is that if someone manages to obtain your account password, they will not be able to access your account without your permission.
Activate phone security
The phone must be protected from unauthorized direct access and theft of sensitive information and photos. This step is represented by adding some kind of protection to your smartphone such as a pattern, fingerprint or Face ID.
When this feature is activated, no one will be able to open your device without your permission. Even if a thief manages to steal your phone, he will not be able to open it and see its contents, because it is secured with a complex protection pattern. Thus, you have protected your information and photos from direct unauthorized access.
Use antivirus software
Many software companies have provided anti-virus solutions for smartphones. Some of them are:
- McAfee Mobile: Protects from malware and malicious code. It also includes security features such as privacy protection and incoming message control.
- Avast Mobile: This program provides many features such as protection from malware and viruses. It also enables you to block annoying calls and protect your Wi-Fi network.
- Norton Mobile: Protects your phone from malware and viruses and provides other features, such as remote device control.
Remember that you should always update your smartphone system and applications periodically, as protection programs alone are not enough to protect your phone from hacking.
Do not click on suspicious links.
Links are one of the most common methods used by black hut hackers. Through them, they can access your phone and control it remotely as they wish. They can also download files from your phone or send files. Therefore, it is very important to be careful before clicking on any link on the Internet. Whether it was sent by a friend or you came across it while browsing the Internet.
There are many attacks that hackers use frequently. Such as creating a page that is identical to the official website, but belongs to it. Once the victim enters the link that was sent to him and fills in the required fields, this information reaches the hacker.
Or it may embed malware inside the link such as Trojan Virus or Ransomware. Once the target clicks on it, he/she will be a victim of hackers.
Some ways to help you identify suspicious links:
- Check the link: When you receive a link, you should carefully examine the address bar, if the link contains strange or unfamiliar addresses, do not open it at all.
- Check the source of the link: Do not open links unless you trust the source or the person who sent it to you, such as family or friends.
- Use security tools: It is good to have security software, which we mentioned earlier. It allows you to scan links and warn you if there is something, that might harm your device.
- Activate suspicious link warnings: Some phones have a feature that allows you to receive warnings before opening suspicious links. This feature can be activated from the phone settings.
Avoid connecting to untrusted networks.
When connecting to public Wi-Fi networks, your information is more likely to be stolen. Therefore, if you are in a public place and need to connect to a public network, it is necessary to follow some important points:
- Check the network name carefully before connecting to it. Make sure it is the one you want to connect to.
- When connected to a public network, avoid entering your login information on the sites you visit. Hackers may be monitoring all your activities.
- Use a VPN to encrypt your connections and improve security when using public networks like Nord VPN.
In general, you should avoid connecting to free networks. But if you must use them, you should consider the points mentioned. Do not download files from untrusted sources or click on suspicious links.
Beware of sharing your phone with others
Naturally, everyone stores their information on their smartphones, such as photos, videos, text conversations and banking information. So when you give your phone to someone, they will be able to steal all this information and transfer it to their phone, because they can control the phone as they want.
He will be able to install malware on your phone, which will give him the ability to control your phone remotely. And steal the information, he wants without your knowledge.
It is also possible that he will steal your phone and run away. Or drop the phone and cause damage to it. He is in turn irresponsible, and thus the phone may be lost or damaged unintentionally.
Finally, we must always be careful about information and privacy. To achieve this, we must always take care to update the phone’s basic system and installed applications. Do not download applications from unknown or unfamiliar sites. Be careful not to click on links from unknown or suspicious sources.
