Source:
https://pixabay.com/photos/cyber-security-smartphone-cell-phone-2765707/
Practically everything runs on mobile these days. It is estimated that there are over 3.5 billion active smartphones in the world that have the capabilities to access the internet. This has opened up the need to enhance mobile security since they house very sensitive information and are used to even transact money-related activities. When you further consider how companies like Facebook are illegally mining data from their clients without their knowledge, the issue becomes urgent. The following are some of the notable reasons why mobile security has to be prioritized.
Suspicious Applications
Whether you are on Android or IOS, the only way you can get the most out of your phone would be to use the many apps that are available in the respective stores. However, not all apps are good. Some third-party apps are malware that masquerades as normal apps, and without any mobile security, they may gain access to sensitive data, and this could expose you to ransomware attacks, or work, the hacking of your vital accounts, and even your funds in the bank. With a robust mobile security firewall, things like this will have a hard time passing through, and this ensures nothing ends up in the hands of the wrong people.
Data Control
Hackers and malware are not the only entities that can compromise your data. You could also be a danger to yourself without realizing it. There are instances where people are very lax with their mobile phones, dome going to as far as leaving them open and unlocked, and this makes it easy for other people to access their mobile phones.
You could also end up posting the wrong information online without intending to. To stop all these, you have to create a strong security framework that will not allow anything to be shared without inputting passwords of some kind. This way, you can be assured that you’d never share information you don’t want.
Data is the new gold mine, and this is why hackers and every major company in the world are trying to get their hands on yours. Data is what gives these companies an edge over the others as they are able to tailor-make products and services they believe are good for you, and they achieve this through targeted ads. It is an unethical tactic that has been the cause of many issues around the world, and this is the reason why having a proper firewall to shield your data from such companies is vital.
Public Wi-Fi
Source:
https://pixabay.com/photos/smart-home-house-technology-3096224/
Free is expensive, and nowhere is that data more apt than in mobile security where public Wi-Fi is involved. What many people never realize about public Wi-Fi is that hackers love using it to access smartphones very easily since public networks are not secured. Once you connect your phone to such a network, you are done for. There is nothing that cannot be accessed from your personal data, passwords, mobile money, and everything you can think of. It can take mere minutes to even have all your money drained out from your bank accounts remotely, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Without a proper firewall, you shouldn’t connect to public networks at all.
BYOD Threats
BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Devices, and it is a concept where workers are allowed to bring and use their personal phones at work to handle both their personal and official work business. This may sound convenient, but it opens the door to huge threats, among them, the mix-up of personal and work emails and communication channels that may carry the risk of personal and work information being sent to the wrong party. This could compromise both the employer and the organization since there are some types of data that should never leave the company’s official channels. The only way to stop this kind of confusion would be to invest in a good security plan and separate work from personal communications.
App Permissions
Most phones come installed with a feature that requires the owner to give permissions for apps to access some information for them to work. This is a form of firewall that ensures all applications disclose their intentions and the reason why they require certain passes in your mobile phone. This way, you get to control what information you want to be shared and what you want to remain private. This is a very important part of all smartphones that many people never take seriously. Before granting any permissions, make sure you have read everything detailed by the app to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into.
Mobile Money
As previously mentioned, we are living in a cashless economy where people transact by credit card or their mobile phones. Some innovative applications like Mpesa in Kenya revolutionized how money is sent and received through mobile phones within minutes, and this has been adopted by many countries in the world. For security reasons, you need a firewall that requires a number verification every time someone tries to access your money without your knowledge.
There have been cases where people have lost their money to fraudsters because they divulged some details they shouldn’t have, ending up losing all the cash they may have on their mobile phones. It becomes even worse if they have inked their phones with their bank accounts. If you choose to embrace mobile money, then ensure you have the best security measures in place to save you the pain of being hacked and scammed.
Conclusion
We are becoming more dependent on phones as the years go by, and it is only a matter of time before they take over everything; we will soon be using mobile phones for everything in our lives, but for this to be successful, mobile security has to be improved to a point where hackers cannot do anything to access sensitive information. Until then, they will continue having a free reign.
