The majority of people using cellular devices today are no longer using cell phones but smartphone’s are the new trend. These revolutionary devices have altered to a great extent the way we use mobile technology, with smartphone’s growing more and more powerful every day, they are increasingly become the norm for communication as well a number of other tasks that only a few years ago, were done using regular PC’s. Keeping this in mind it can be deduced that the sort of information which, say, a decade ago was found on computers is now found on our smartphone’s. This would include things such as login credentials to various online accounts one may have together with more sensitive information such as bank details. Not only is this information there but smartphone’s also have access to unsafe internet connections, and have a much higher chance of getting lost or being stolen via ingenious mobile phone spy software, so it only makes sense for one to secure these devices as they would a regular computer.
Depending on which operating system your device is running, the types of measures you can take to secure the system will vary, for instance Blackberry OS users can make use of the password protected start up feature. If you visit the general settings menu you will come across the option to enable password protection. Here you can also customize various other options such as the number of attempts which are permitted before the phone locks itself, as well setting or changing your password.
Further on from the general settings you will arrive at the content protection tab. Here you can select which level of protection (the strength) you want for you data, ranging from 80 bits for string and 256 for strongest. This is a good feature of the platform, though whenever you receive calls and the phone is locked you will not be able to see caller ID as the address book is also included in the information which is encrypted. Here you can also set your encryption key, and it is advisable to set a new encryption code every few weeks.
Securing passwords can be problem for many, as remembering various login names and a variety of confusing passwords isn’t so easy, and generally people resort to having their login information stored with the browser. This is far from the safest option, as once someone has access to the phone they can automatically access these accounts since the information is already there, rather a better solution would be to use the password keeper utility on your phone. This tool will store all your password and related information as encrypted data making it much more secure even in the case that someone else does gain access to your phone.
A change in the new Smartphone’s running the Blackberry OS is that Bluetooth is always functioning, by default. This has two problems, it is a constant drain on your battery, and it also leaves you susceptible to attacks through Bluetooth. If you make your way to the Bluetooth options menu you will see the discoverable option, set this option to NO, so that your device is not visible to all other devices that maybe searching for Bluetooth connections. Furthermore you want to go ahead and set the security option to High, and if the Bluetooth devices you use with your phone support it, you can select High and Encrypted, so that all information exchanged through the Bluetooth connection is encrypted. As a final change to make sure you Bluetooth connection is completely safe you can select the services you want working with Bluetooth, which will be those that you most frequently use.
The OS has the clues
Depending on which operating system your device is running, the types of measures you can take to secure the system will vary, for instance Blackberry OS users can make use of the password protected start up feature. If you visit the general settings menu you will come across the option to enable password protection. Here you can also customize various other options such as the number of attempts which are permitted before the phone locks itself, as well setting or changing your password.
Further on from the general settings you will arrive at the content protection tab. Here you can select which level of protection (the strength) you want for you data, ranging from 80 bits for string and 256 for strongest. This is a good feature of the platform, though whenever you receive calls and the phone is locked you will not be able to see caller ID as the address book is also included in the information which is encrypted. Here you can also set your encryption key, and it is advisable to set a new encryption code every few weeks.
Passwords are the problem
Securing passwords can be problem for many, as remembering various login names and a variety of confusing passwords isn’t so easy, and generally people resort to having their login information stored with the browser. This is far from the safest option, as once someone has access to the phone they can automatically access these accounts since the information is already there, rather a better solution would be to use the password keeper utility on your phone. This tool will store all your password and related information as encrypted data making it much more secure even in the case that someone else does gain access to your phone.
The Bluetooth conundrum
A change in the new Smartphone’s running the Blackberry OS is that Bluetooth is always functioning, by default. This has two problems, it is a constant drain on your battery, and it also leaves you susceptible to attacks through Bluetooth. If you make your way to the Bluetooth options menu you will see the discoverable option, set this option to NO, so that your device is not visible to all other devices that maybe searching for Bluetooth connections. Furthermore you want to go ahead and set the security option to High, and if the Bluetooth devices you use with your phone support it, you can select High and Encrypted, so that all information exchanged through the Bluetooth connection is encrypted. As a final change to make sure you Bluetooth connection is completely safe you can select the services you want working with Bluetooth, which will be those that you most frequently use.
Natalia David, an author significantly contributes towards Cell phone and PC security Software, Android spy software and iPhone monitoring software. If you want to know more about her you can follow heron twitter @NataliaDavid4
