Our smartphones often contain our entire lives, and seeing their data stolen by malware can cause a lot of hassle. It is essential to secure your smartphone so that our identifiers, banking information, photos, videos and sensitive files remain protected from malicious actors. By following a few rules, you will greatly reduce the probability of getting hacked. And to add an extra layer of security, it is possible to install an antivirus to defend against threats.
Smartphones are the target of increasingly dangerous threats. Hackers use sophisticated techniques to steal your data, which they can then resell or exploit themselves. Identity theft, bank fraud, access to cryptocurrency wallets… in the event of an attack, the consequences can be disastrous. However, there are some easy best practices to implement in order to protect yourself from malware.
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Why protect your smartphone from threats?
Viruses and malware are not just limited to our computers: smartphones are increasingly targeted by malware. Since they contain private and sensitive information, it is important to guard against threats to prevent your data from falling into the hands of a malicious individual or organization.
Cybercriminals are interested in a large number of items stored on your smartphone, including:
- Your email and social media accounts
- Your multimedia files (videos, photos, etc.)
- All your banking information
- Your notes (if you indicate your passwords there for example) and sensitive documents
- Your browser history
These are only non-exhaustive examples of what hackers can access if they successfully infiltrate your mobile device. Whether in a professional or personal context, seeing all this data being stolen exposes you to many problems.
How to secure your smartphone against malware?
Web browsing, downloading files or applications, security vulnerabilities, there are several entry points to your smartphone for malware and malicious software. By remaining vigilant, avoiding certain actions and adopting a few simple gestures, it is possible to dodge most threats. Here are three tips that will make using your smartphone more secure.
Download applications from the official store
If you have an Android smartphone, you have many solutions for downloading and installing an application on your device. A welcome freedom, but which also has a counterpart: security cannot be ensured outside of official application stores. So avoid getting apps from unknown sources. And even on legitimate stores like the Google Play Store, some apps can slip through the cracks and harbor malware. Research the publisher if you’re unsure about an app.
Manage authorizations well
Both Android and iOS now allow you to customize and effectively manage permissions granted to applications. Therefore, you can block access to certain elements of your smartphone for invasive applications if you consider that they do not need them to function correctly. It is also advisable to simply uninstall applications that are too suspicious. For example, a flashlight app that asks for permissions to access the microphone, phone contacts, or call logs should ring a bell. Delete apps that you no longer use: you will free up storage space and resources and limit the chances of being spied on by an inactive app.
Scan your smartphone with antimalware
Danger comes from everywhere and even the most informed users can sometimes be trapped. This is why it is recommended to regularly have your smartphone analyzed by a specialized security solution capable of detecting files and processes that have no place there. Spyware or credential stealers, banking Trojans and ransomware can be identified and removed from your system with the right antimalware.
Bitdefender Mobile Security, comprehensive protection
To protect your Android smartphone or iPhone, cybersecurity expert Bitdefender has developed a defense solution specially designed for mobile devices. Bitdefender Mobile Security offers an on-demand scanning feature, which also activates during the installation of all applications, looking for malware. This security suite also offers advanced web protection, including anti-phishing systems that will detect and block fraudulent pages to protect you even before your smartphone is infected.
Users equipped with an Android mobile also benefit from an exclusive feature: Bitdefender App Anomaly Detection. This will study the actions of applications, allowing the detection of anomalies and the implementation of a real-time protection layer based on behavior which allowed Bitdefender to block many applications appearing up to here as legitimate! Applications that attempt to evade regular detection, by going to sleep right after installation for example, are thus prevented from causing harm when they wake up.
Bitdefender Mobile Security will also ensure that the security of your email account has not been compromised. If an attacker gains access to your mailbox, he can then use it to access all your other accounts. The service provides options for locating, locking and resetting your device remotely in the event of loss or theft, so that your data cannot be used if you lose physical access to your device.
Available for iOS or Android, the subscription costs only 14.99 euros for the first year, and includes a secure VPN with 200 MB of traffic per day for safe and anonymous browsing. Note that Android protection is also included in the Bitdefender Total Security security suite, which also protects your Windows devices or your Mac.
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And the best part of all this? Bitdefender Mobile Security has no impact on the battery life and performance of your smartphone or tablet: most of the protection work takes place in the cloud, so your device’s resources are not required.
This article is a sponsored post by Bitdefender.