Everyone from your little brother to a cybercriminal – wants to get a hold of your smartphone. Protecting any device in this era can be quite a challenge since you have to be aware of both the physical and the online threats. Now, most people don’t even notice that their phones are vulnerable. In some cases, they have already been hacked into your Android without any notice. For people that have confidential information like credit card and social security numbers, they have to protect their phone otherwise their lives could quickly take a turn for the worst.
So, how do you do that? How do you secure your Android phone against threats that you cannot even see? We have made a list of few things you can start with.
1. Using alphanumeric Passwords
Passwords are a dire need these days to keep all the creeping friends at bay. Usually, people use PIN codes and pattern passwords to secure their phones. That is the first mistake. These are really easy to memorize and anyone could remember them. Alpha-numeric passwords are the best alternative. Try to think of random letters and numbers as they’re crucial if you want to keep your private life ‘private’. The more confusing and complex it is, the more difficult it is to crack. It is up to you to find the right balance between complex and simple and convenient.
2. Set up anti-theft apps
Anti-theft apps can be useful if you live in bad neighborhoods and want to safeguard your phone against pickpockets. A password doesn’t stop these thugs because a simple hard reset will get rid of it. That’s where these apps can come in handy. There are apps like Cerberus and Prey that can allow you to track, lock and wipe your phone if it’s stolen. They can also let you use the phone’s microphone and camera to potentially identify the thief. This way, the crook might walk away with your phone, but there’s also a good chance you may also get it back.
3. Protection against malware
Malware can prove to be a nightmare for any device. It can slow your Android device, crash it, install unwanted apps and sometimes even wipe your data. Usually, the malware is embedded in files you download from the internet. These will most often come from suspect websites. So do not visit any website you are not sure is absolutely secure and not going to infect your device with malware. Protection apps like Avast and CM Security that perform scheduled scans are used to clear out any viruses and malware on your phone or other Android devices. After that, it up to you whether you choose to delete, repair or keep the file.
No matter what you do, your device can never truly be 100% safe. There will be some way that someone gets a hold of your phone. But, in the meantime, the information that we provided will keep most creeping toms at bay.
