Cybersecurity has become a top priority in everyday life, as a person's digital footprint can contain a large amount of information. This information can fall into the wrong hands without proper defense. Here you will find everything you need to know about cybersecurity, how to protect your mobile device and a bit more.
Protecting your phone doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, it can be one of the simplest things you can do. Things as simple as encrypting your storage, creating a password, etc. They give your mobile device the protection it needs. You also create a barrier between you and hackers looking to get your private information.
It is also wise to be careful with social media, as it is often a very vulnerable place. This is a separate topic, because social media contains much of your personal information. Even a random person with enough time and some deduction can know about where you’ve been and what you’ve done.
And now there are special spying apps for that, that can be installed on your phone without physical access to it. And a little effort, a little knowledge, and there it is – attackers have all of your information. See how does it work on Instagram, for example: https://celltrackingapps.com/instagram-spy/.
Also you would be surprised knowing how much money was stolen with the help of malicious programs. More than $590 million was stolen between January and June 2021, according to the U.S. Treasury Department report which was released on October 15, 2021. So, the threat is real, especially when using the internet increased during the pandemic.
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What is mobile security?
Mobile security refers to measures designed to protect sensitive information stored on and transmitted by laptops, smartphones, tablets, wearables and other portable devices. Cybersecurity for mobile devices includes protecting data on the local device, on endpoint devices and network devices connected to the device. As mobile devices continue to be preferred by users over desktop computers, they will be more important targets for attackers.
Mobile devices have a much larger attack surface than desktop computers, making them a more critical threat to enterprise security. A desktop computer is immobile and threats come mostly from outside attackers, but mobile devices are vulnerable to both physical and virtual attacks.
Users take their mobile devices everywhere they go, so administrators have to worry more about physical attacks (e.g., theft and loss) and virtual threats from third-party applications and Wi-Fi hotspots. Fixed desktops don't leave the corporate network, making it easier for administrators to control network and endpoint security. With mobile devices, users can rotate them, add any application and physically lose them.
For many of these reasons and more, organizations have a lot more overhead when developing mobile device strategies. Despite this overhead, it is still a critical component of cybersecurity, as mobile devices can pose a real threat to data integrity.
Components of a mobile security solution
Mobile security is complex because of the large number of potential attack vectors – devices can be targeted on multiple levels:
- Applications: Malware can be developed and deployed as malicious applications that users install on their devices without their knowledge. Mobile security solutions must be able to detect and block downloads of these malicious applications. Mobile phones are so fragile right now, fun fact: according to McAfee, the number of malicious applications on mobiles increased by 118% in 2020, which means that hackers are working pretty hard.
- The network: mobile devices and the legitimate applications running on them can be targeted at the network level. Man-in-the-middle, phishing and other attacks take advantage of network connectivity to steal data or deliver malicious content. Mobile security is about blocking these attacks at the network level.
- Operating system: iOS as well as Android operating systems may contain exploitable vulnerabilities, used by users or malware to jailbreak/root devices. This allows an attacker to gain advanced permissions on the device, breaking its security model. Mobile security incorporates real-time risk assessments, configuration monitoring and other tools to detect the exploitation of device vulnerabilities. But the point is, that even jailbreaking is not needed anymore if someone wants to stalk you. It’s scary, but possible to avoid.
Also, it is very important to regularly update your device. Usually these updates come with new anti-hacking solutions, and fix these weak spots that were found in previous updates.
So better take care and put some effort into your cybersecurity, and learn ways how to protect yourself. Once again: use antivirus software, use VPN, try to avoid hotspots at public places, don’t share too much on social media and regularly check your device for malware presence.