Blog by Chelsea Jarvie, Director of CJ Cyber Ltd.
Here are 3 very simple actions you can take to keep your device secure and ultimately, all your personal and sensitive information. Apart from keeping your phone locked, these measures work in the background and you won’t even notice they are on!
Our devices are becoming more and more vital every day. You may use your mobile phone as your digital wallet, or your tablet to do all your life admin. Did you know that in 2018 48% of UK adults used mobile banking? With all this financial and personal information contained on one device, you don’t want it getting into the wrong hands. There are some simple steps you can take to keep your devices more secure and ultimately, keep your personal information safe. Here are 3 simple tips you can implement quickly:
1. Put a password on it
All your devices should have a password, pattern or biometrics to unlock it. This means if you ever lose it or leave it unattended no one will be able to get into it. Biometrics are the best option, such as your fingerprint or facial recognition as these can’t be guessed! If your device doesn’t allow biometric unlock, then choose a complex password or pattern.
2. Keep your device and apps up to date
Apps and devices need to have updates applied regularly. The alert usually pops up at the most inconvenient time, but don’t put it off too long because updates regularly contain security fixes. Keeping one step ahead of the hackers means that apps and devices need to be updated regularly with the most current security software. Set the updates to be automatically applied overnight so they don’t affect your day-to-day use of the device.
3. Turn on tracking
Most devices allow you to keep a track of them remotely so if it’s ever lost or stolen, you can trace exactly where it is. For Apple devices, there is an app called “Find My” and on Android devices this is called “Find my Device”. In some cases, you might be able to recover it but if not, you can use this app to wipe your device and stop someone accessing your information or photos who shouldn’t.
