Remember the good ol’ days when all we had to worry about was our phone ringing while we were on the can? We didn’t have to worry about being embarrassed by our cellphones, it was, just a phone. Today, my phone is smarter than I am. Now, I know what your thinking….you thought it was just you! But sadly, I too have been embarrassed by a text sent without being properly screened, by a human, by me. My phone’s spellcheck makes corrections faster than I can unfix them..which results in some pretty stupid sounding texts.
This got me to thinking. You know how we have security software on our PCs. I have seen anti-virus and other anti malware for phones; but how do we secure our phones from hackers and other seedy people? Our friends over at Tech Republic offer some advice.
First on their list (and mine): Passwords! Passwords are the last line of defense to protect your device. As important as our electronic leashes are, having a strong password seems simple enough, but how many of you (read US) use really stupid reminders? My cat’s favorite password is….ready?….”password.” He is asking for trouble. I keep telling him, make your password tough. The more complicated it is, the harder it is to hack. Of course, this has it’s own issue for those of us that are memory impaired.
For those of you like my cat…yeah..my cat, who have a tough time remembering things. I’d recommend getting a password manager. There are a bunch out there, but it seems like 1Password, Lastpass, and Dashlane all work well. Depending upon your circumstances, your mileage may vary.
The next important tidbit…keep your phone updated! Updates help close security flaws. Like the Nike commercial used to say: “Just do it.”
Speaking of “Just do it.” Make sure to use two-factor authentication on everything possible. As a primer, Dashlane and Lastpass are both two-factor compatible. I’m new to the two-factor authentication. So I’ll have to give more feedback when the time comes. For now though, you have a reference. I tend to go more for the encryption; but I may have to revisit this.
I often find myself at Starbucks…surfing their internet (I’m a cheap bastard, why should I pay?). One thing even the technology challenged Dr. D doesn’t do is send (or receive) sensitive info while on a public Wi-Fi (with no password). Never check your bank on an open Wi-Fi. Never.
For more information on keeping your android device (and others) secured, check out 10-things.
Do you have any suggestions for keeping cellphones secure? I’d love to hear them.
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