No we haven’t been taken over by humanoid androids. Apples aren’t falling from trees. . . Ok, perhaps in someone’s orchard here in the Okanagan they are. . . Blackberries will only stain your hand if they are the organic type, and you can still see through windows, unless they are a dusty as mine! *ahem! But the one thing Apple, Blackberry, and Android-based phones have in common, and let’s not forget Microsoft Windows Phone, is that they are all susceptible to theft, hacking, and malware. Perhaps more-so even than their larger laptop and desktop cousins.
This is because smartphones are becoming more and more popular around the world, and cybercriminals along with organized crime are cashing in. Several things should be kept in mind when securing your mobile device:
1) Give it a system password! There are multiple ways to do this now, random drawing generators, biometrics, random movement generators, as well as the basic character/digit-based methods. Whatever method is available to you, be sure to use it.
2) Put antivirus software on there and be sure it’s running. Blackberry comes with Blackberry protect. But there are now a wide range of backup/security/anti-malware apps out there that you can install on your mobile device to keep it safe and secure.
3) When you are away from your home office, don’t let the device out of your sight! Better yet, don’t let it leave your person! Mobile devices are very easy to snatch at a moment’s notice and many are lost or stolen every day. Always know where your device is, and double-check every so often to be sure!
4) Turn off the GPS on your device unless you absolutely MUST tell everyone where you are! That’s actually more true than you realize, and law enforcement in the US feels that where you are is no more a secret than the colour of your car. So take notice.
With the growing use of mobile devices extending into the tablet arena rather quickly, be sure to follow these basic points for those as well. Better safe than sorry.
