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Practical Tips For Smartphone Lovers To Stay Safe

Posted: 12/8/2011

The information on your mobile phone needs to be protected.

(NAPSI)—Smartphone adoption has continued to skyrocket and for good reason. You can now talk, e-mail, text, shop, use social media, bank and do thousands of other valuable things through downloadable apps.

Recently, however, high-profile security breaches have caused a lot of people to think a little more carefully about the safety of personal data on their phone.

Attackers are deploying a variety of increasingly sophisticated techniques to take control of your contacts, personal data and money through your mobile device. According to a recent report (Lookout Mobile Security Threat Report, August 2011), three out of 10 Android owners are likely to encounter a Web-based threat on their mobile device each year. App-based threats are also on the rise. There were over 400 Android apps infected with malware in June 2011, up from 80 infected apps in January.

Protecting your phone with a password is always a good idea, but may not be enough. Here are more ways to protect yourself from smartphone security threats:

1. Treat your phone like your PC and get protection. Most people protect their PC from malware and viruses and now the phone needs the same level of protection. Protect yourself and your private data from malware, spyware, phishing attacks and malicious apps by downloading a security app like Lookout Mobile Security. Lookout can even help you locate a lost or stolen phone.

2. Download the updates for your phone and mobile apps. Hackers are always looking for new ways to attack a device and vulnerabilities in the phone software can provide that opportunity. Often, these updates include patches to security flaws recently found in the software that can put your information at risk.

3. Use discretion when downloading apps. Download apps only from sites you trust, check the app’s rating and read the reviews to make sure it’s widely used and respected.

4. Use discretion when clicking links from your phone. On a smartphone, because of the small-form factor, people are three times more likely to submit their personal login info on a phishing site than if they were using a PC. When you surf the Web, e-mail, text and enjoy social networking from your phone, you can be exposed to some of the same malware and phishing scams found on the PC. Lookout Mobile Security will examine every link in real time and automatically warn against phishing attempts and unsafe sites-guarding users from identity theft, financial fraud or malware.

For more information on the security issues on your phone, go to www.mylookout.com.

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