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Mobile Phone Security

Our mobile phones today can nearly do everything we need and more than our old laptops and computers did years ago. With that said, we also need to be cautious on the myriad of threats to infect your mobile equipment or worse yet, steal confidential information about yourself or business. Below we have listed out some security best practices for your mobile phones to enhance the protection of important data.
Industry estimates state that 10-15% of all smart phones are lost or stolen by their owners each year.   The information stored on your phone will typically include all your contacts, emails, and any documents you may have downloaded. Here are some good tools to help protect you in case the unthinkable happens.
·         Password protect your phone – This is the easiest to do and most phones have the ability to password protect it built into the operating system. Take a few minutes and create an easy password to make it difficult for someone to access your information.
·         AntiVirus – Most mobile phones that are receiving emails are at a higher risk of obtaining a virus not to mention with the ability to browse the internet as well. It is best to treat your phone much like a computer and obtain an antivirus to protect your data. To ensure the updates are current, find an antivirus solution that will update the software over the air.
·         Mobile Defense is an up and coming application that can help someone locate their phone via triangulation between towers and / or satellites if the phone has been lost. By using the internet you are then able to locate your phone and recover it.
·         Encryption also protects your devices from falling into the wrong hands. This added safeguard should only be used on newer phones to help protect the data but can give you the peace of mind that if your phone is lost or stolen, the information will not be available to others.
·         Blackberry Enterprise Server – Many businesses utilize the Blackberry because of the many security features available with remote management.  If a phone is stolen or lost, the Blackberry Enterprise Server has the ability to wipe the data on the phone remotely to prevent anyone from obtaining critical information from your company.
Also,  watch out for text messages offering free services.  Most of these messages have a link that gives hackers access to your smart phone and ability to either steal your identity or confidential information.  Upon receipt of a text message from someone you do not know,  do not click on the link and delete the message immediately.
Most of us never think this will happen to us until it is too late. Start by password protecting your phone and look at the repercussions if emails or company data got into the wrong hands. By utilizing some of these tools listed above, pick and choose what tools are most important to best protect your data and phone.
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