Security for Your Mobile Device

Mobile devices are one of the most common ways to communicate and interact now. We can do nearly anything right from our smartphones such as banking, shopping, viewing medical data or history, and even working remotely. That information is good to know and convenient to have right at your fingertips, but its not exactly information you would want to fall into the wrong hands.

Just how prepared are you? Are you protected in case your phone is stolen? Is your data backed up in case you need to remotely wipe the device? Is your information safe from hacking and viruses online?

Your first step to protecting your devices and information should be password security. Password-protect all of your devices, and don’t share that password with anyone. Passwords for websites are a little more complicated than device passwords. They should all be different for starters, and have substantial length. We require that your network password is at least 8 characters in length. This is the minimum length to ensure greater safety for your account. Never store your passwords in the browser for added safety too.

After you have your passwords safe and ready to protect your information, make sure that you aren’t unnecessarily putting yourself at risk. Using public Wi-Fi hot spots or free Wi-Fi may seem great, but in reality they’re a hacker’s dream. Don’t access sensitive information or make online transactions on public Wi-Fi.

It is always a good idea to prepare for a worst case scenario, make sure your device and data have a recent backup, and the ability to remotely lock and wipe the device to ensure your security. If your device is stolen, you should be able to lock the device and wipe the information off of it from anywhere to double protect you and your information from the wrong people. Make sure that you are prepared to use a remote lock and wipe feature on your device by backing up your data frequently. You wouldn’t want to lose anything important.

Let’s review:

• Password protect your devices.
• Don’t share your passwords with anyone. Even ITS.
• Have unique and lengthy passwords for every website, and don’t save them in the browser.
• Don’t access sensitive information or make online transactions on public Wi-Fi.
• Just in case, backup your device frequently, so you’ll always have a recent backup of your device.
• Have a remote lock and wipe feature installed to protect your information.

To reward you for reading all about protecting your device again this year, enjoy this entertaining yet informative password protection video. Because who doesn’t love ukulele?

For more information or help with your device, come visit the ITS Helpdesk in Nicarry 125 or call us at x3333.

Article adapted from: http://er.educause.edu/blogs/2015/12/march-securing-mobile-devices.