Recently, while attending a holiday concert a friend's purse was stolen, reminding us that you should keep a look out for your valuable belongings including your phone during this rushed time of year.
Lookout, a mobile security firm that has free apps currently in beta suggests these tips and warned
"Whether you use
your smartphone for business or pleasure, securing the computer in your
pocket is just as important as securing the computer on your desk. Follow these seven easy tips to help stay safe:
1. Set a password on your phone.
For the past year, we've been working with smartphone users across the
globe and found that some of the most common security problems are lost
and stolen phones. Especially while traveling, people tend to lose their
phones in airports, cabs, and other public places. Setting a password is
the simplest way to keep your data safe if your phone goes AWOL during
the hustle and bustle of holiday travel. Make sure that your password is
strong enough so that a thief can't easily guess it.
2. Always keep an eye on your phone while traveling.
As you're going through airport security, watch your phone as it enters
the x-ray machine and retrieve it immediately when it comes out--thieves
will often steal phones during the few seconds where people don't pay
attention as they go through the metal detector. If you set your phone
down on a counter or table, don't let it out of your sight.
3. Don't click on links in text messages from people you don't
trust.
As they do with email, spammers use text messages to install spyware and
steal or "phish" your information. Make sure that whenever you click on
a link in a text message, you trust the person who sent it. Even if
you've been doing some recent holiday shopping, online stores, your
bank, or your carrier won't ask to "verify" your account information. Be
especially careful if you are traveling to Europe or Asia, where we have
seen a much higher rate of text message spam.
4. Keep Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off when you aren't using them.
Airports, coffee shops, and hotels are especially attractive targets for
hackers around the holidays, as they can use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to
attack phones and steal information. The easiest way to stay safe (and
conserve battery) is to turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off when you aren't
using them. When you use Bluetooth, make sure it is in non-discoverable
mode. When you use Wi-Fi, always try to use an encrypted network or use
a VPN if your work has one, otherwise, hackers can easily "sniff" your
data out of the air.
5. Back up your data.
Before leaving on a trip this holiday season, be sure to back up your
data--it only takes a few minutes. If you happen to lose your phone (or
accidently drop it in the punch bowl), you'll be up and running in no
time.
6. Apply software/firmware updates from your carrier or phone
vendor.
Carriers and phone manufacturers routinely provide software or firmware
updates to fix security vulnerabilities that hackers can use to attack
your phone. Even if you get a brand new phone this holiday season, it
may be out of date. Check on the carrier or phone manufacturer's website
for any available updates and be sure to apply updates as soon as they
are available in the future. Just like a desktop or laptop computer,
staying up to date is your first line of defense from hackers and
viruses.
7. Only download applications from reputable sources.
Getting a new phone during the holidays? The first thing you will likely
do is download apps--lots of them. You will probably download more apps
on your phone than you have on your computer. Make sure to download
responsibly: it is safer to use application marketplaces provided by
your carrier or phone vendor than to download directly from the web.
Some sites have hosted repackaged versions of popular mobile apps--such
as Google Maps--that include spyware. Malware and spyware can still sneak
in to marketplaces however, so be careful, especially with applications
from unknown developers that have poor ratings or low download numbers.
About Lookout
Lookout is a mobile security software startup helping smartphone users
worldwide protect their mobile devices from threats. Lookout was
formerly Flexilis, a security research and development firm known for
emerging security research focused on mobile devices and wireless
technology. The company's management and engineering team is comprised
of experts in mobile technology, security, and web applications.
Lookout, funded by Khosla Ventures and Trilogy Partnership, is
headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information, please
visit