Securing Mobile Devices, a Cyber Threat Insight Awareness Video

Mobile Devices are defined as a portable computing device such as cell phones and tablets. Mobile Devices providehe connectivity our fast-paced world has grown accustomed to and their ever-increasing capabilities make using mobile devices an indispensable tool.

Mobile Devices provide convenience by allowing us access to, or control over, the things we need and use in our busy lives. That convenience, unfortunately, does not come without risk. The more mobile devices are able to do for us, the more information they store about us and if compromised, the more exposure we have.

In this awareness video, we will show you 8 tips to help you keep your mobile devices secure.

Tip 1 Keep mobile devices updated.

Keeping up to date with the latest software updates and patches is a necessary step to keeping your cell phone, iPad, and tablets secure.

Updates provide protection against known vulnerabilities and patches fix software holes that malicious applications and hackers use to gain access to your information and sensitive data.

There will be updates for the device itself as well as updates for installed apps. Both are important to do on a regular basis.

Tip 2 Secure Access to Your Device

Using passwords, passcodes, fingerprints, or facial recognition to allow only secured access to your device is very important. Enable these features and configure them to lock your device automatically after a short period of inactivity.

Not using some sort of security to unlock your device potentially allows access to sensitive information to anyone who can get to your device. Enabling these features greatly increases the chances that even if your device is lost or stolen, your information remains secure.

Tip 3 Only use secured WIFI

WIFI is easily exploited and a common target for hackers. Never use public or unsecured WIFI connections if you do not know the provider or level of security.

If you have to use WIFI from any other provider other than secured WIFI provided by your office or home connection, only stay connected as long as you have to and disconnect as soon as you are finished.

When using Public WIFI connections, always use caution, limit what you access, and disconnect when finished.

Impersonating a legitimate WIFI provider is as easy as naming a WIFI connection with a name that seems legitimate.

Connecting to an unsecured WIFI connection could expose any data used over that connection, allowing it to be compromised or stolen. An unsecured WIFI connection can also be used as a path directly back into your mobile device by hackers.

Using WIFI to gain access to secure information sent by or stored on mobile devices is easily done and is widely used by hackers. Hackers can then use the stolen information for malicious purposes. Often when credentials are stolen, hackers use automated tools to try logging on at thousands of other websites to gain access to other sensitive information.

Tip 4 Disable Bluetooth

Similar to WIFI, Bluetooth is commonly exploited by hackers and used to gain access to mobile devices directly. Turning off Bluetooth when you are not using it will make it unavailable to hackers and has the added benefit of saving battery life.

Tip 5 Use a VPN whenever possible

If you are transferring or accessing secure data or connecting to a corporate network, always use a Virtual Private Network or VPN to secure your connection. VPNs creates a sort of tunnel between your device and the network you are connecting to and secures any data transferred through encryption.

VPNs are a very secure way of ensuring that the data you are working with remains safe.

Tip 6 Choose your apps wisely and only keep the ones you use.

When installing apps to mobile devices, only choose reputable providers and if you are unfamiliar with the provider, look at the reviews at a very minimum. There are hundreds of thousands of apps available and the number of apps that contain malware or collect private information is constantly growing.

Make sure the app you are installing is actually the one you are looking for and that it is from a legitimate provider. It is common to see apps that are named similar and do similar functions. This is a common practice that is used to get people to download incorrect versions.

Review the privacy settings before allowing an app to install to make sure you are comfortable with what the app is asking for access to.

If you are no longer using an app, uninstall it from your mobile device. Even if an app is not malicious itself, hackers can exploit potential flaws for malicious purposes. Older apps that are not updated often or have been abandoned by their creators are more susceptible to exploit.

Tip 7 beware of Phishing Emails, Texts, and popups

As with email accessed by PCs and laptops, never click on a link on your mobile device if you are not sure of it’s origin or were not expecting it. Links clicked in phishing emails on a mobile device can install malware to the device and compromise sensitive date.

The use of Phishing Texts is also gaining popularity with hackers and the links they contain are specifically designed to compromise cell phones and other mobile devices. If you receive a text from an unknown number, do not click on any links it may have.

Popups are still used commonly used as a method of infecting Mobile Devices. Popups may come from a browser or in the form of an ad while using an app. Most popups will have a X or some other way to close them without clicking on them.

Others are not so easy to close and may require you to close the app or browser forcefully to clear the popup. Having an app that continually uses popups is a good indication that you may need to look for an alternative app and avoid accidentally clicking on what could be a malicious link.

Malware designed for mobile devices is hard to defend against without specialized security software and often goes unnoticed. If you click on a link that you feel is suspicious, make sure to have your phone checked out before continuing to use it.

Tip 8 Use Security Software

If the mobile device contains sensitive information or is used to access sensitive information, install and use security software that can protect against viruses and malware. These specialized software packages often include the ability to track, lock, and remotely wipe any data from the device if it gets stolen or lost.

Thank you for watching our Mobile Security awareness video.

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