Mobile Security Threats You Should Know About

Aside from protective cases and screen protectors, smartphones need protection on the software and app side as well.

Online threats can range from phishing email that can capture your login credentials to malware for both iOS and Android systems that can bring the device down quickly.

Here’s a list of the most serious ones you should know and avoid.

Device Vulnerabilities

A flaw often arises when a technology, such as Bluetooth, an app or a smartphone’s system isn’t updated to the latest version. Also, jailbreaking a gadget exposes it to various mobile device vulnerabilities. For example, a broken-in iPhone will be able to install apps outside the App Store at the user’s risk.

Data Leaks

Hackers and exploiters can take a screenshot of your mobile activity and glean potentially private or sensitive information that was previously stored in your mobile phone. For example, when you transfer company files to a cloud storage service, paste to a wrong window or forward email to the wrong recipient, it opens a window to the data inside your device.

Wi-Fi Interference

We’re so used to connecting to available Wi-Fi hotspots that we forget that these aren’t as secure as we’d like. There’s a way for unscrupulous individuals to track activities and information from within a public Wi-Fi using specialized software or apps. It’s best to exercise caution when in a public Wi-Fi. Don’t make financial transactions or log in to bank platforms as it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is prevalent in mobiles as it is over landlines and laptops. Some of the more common ones include impersonating a ‘friend’, a company or a bank institution in order to acquire personal data such as user name, password and login details via dangerous but familiar-looking links that direct you to shady websites.