How To Keep Your Phone Safe From Hackers

Smartphones are vulnerable to a wide range of monitoring threats from hackers. With their built-in GPSs, cameras, microphones and connectivity to a world of cloud services, they are the best snooping devices ever invented. You can keep your phone safe from hackers by ensuring your phone has a strong passcode, only downloading apps from trusted stores, protecting your online accounts with strong passwords and regularly backing up your data. 

Continue reading to learn the importance of keeping your phone protected from threat actors and tips you can implement today to keep your phone safe from hackers. 

1. Make sure your phone is secured with a strong passcode

Keeping your phone locked with a strong passcode is one of the simplest ways you can protect your phone from intruders. To ensure you’re using a strong passcode, avoid creating one that is 4 digits long and instead create a 6-digit long passcode. If your phone allows you to create one that is even longer, create a longer passcode. Strong passcodes are important, especially if you were ever to misplace, lose or get your phone stolen. By having your phone locked with a strong passcode, you’ll prevent anyone from physically getting into your phone which contains all sorts of private information, such as private messages and credit card numbers. 

It can be particularly dangerous not to have a passcode on your phone if you have Apple Pay or Google Pay set up – making it easy for the cybercriminal to purchase things using your saved information. 

2. Only download apps from trusted stores

Downloading apps from trusted app stores is particularly important for Android users since Android devices are more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Their vulnerability is due to their dependence on open-source code – meaning that Android users can modify the Operating System (OS) of their devices. Too much modification and users risk compromising the security of their devices. 

Limit downloads to known app stores or branded organizations that you know and trust. Some trusted app stores include the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The app store you decide to download from depends on whether you are using an Android or iOS device. 

3. Set strong passwords for all your accounts

Making sure that all of your accounts have secure passwords is essential to keeping your phone protected against cybercriminals. Reusing the same password or variations of the same password for all your accounts places you at a much higher risk of having your accounts compromised. You can easily create strong, unique passwords with a password management solution. Password managers allow you to securely store, manage and share all your passwords within a secure vault while only having to memorize a single password to access all of them.

Creating your passwords does not have to be a lengthy or difficult process. A password manager does the hard part for you and gives you peace of mind that all your accounts are secure. 

4. Regularly back up your data

If your phone were to ever get hacked, there is the possibility of losing your data and never regaining access to it again. Whether it be a ransomware attack or your data gets completely erased from your phone, you need to be able to access it through other means. Not to mention, other circumstances could wipe the data from your phone such as human error, hardware failure, losing it or getting it stolen. This is why you must always have your data, photos and videos backed up in a cloud-based storage solution. 

These cloud-based solutions enable you to securely store all your important files and images in one place. You can also easily access your stored data from anywhere and despite what happens to your phone, you’ll always have access to it.

5. Always keep your phone’s software up to date

Updating your phone whenever a new update becomes available is critical to ensuring the security and reliability of your phone. These updates add essential features, remove bugs and patch security flaws. By ignoring update notifications on your phone, you’re placing your data at risk. You should always set aside time to update your phone and other devices to keep them up to date and if you have the option, enable automatic updates so you never have to worry about your phone being vulnerable to hacking attempts. 

6. Avoid clicking unsolicited links

Phishing attempts have become increasingly common nowadays, so anyone with a phone must be vigilant in identifying phishing text messages and emails that target them. If you receive a text message from a contact you don’t have saved and you’re unsure about who it may be, never click the links or attachments they send. These links and attachments can trigger a malware infection, leading to your private information being stolen. 

7. Consider using an encrypted messaging service

Encrypted messaging services are messaging apps that allow you to send private messages to anyone. These services provide you with End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)  and prevent anyone but the sender or receiver from monitoring those messages. 

KeeperChat® is a secure messaging service that is included for free with Keeper’s personal password manager plan. It comes with features such as being able to retract a message or “self-destruct” a message, without a trace. If you’re someone who wants to keep their messages private, an encrypted messaging service should be something you consider using. 

8. Avoid using public WiFi

Using public WiFi from any device poses a threat to your online security. One of the most common cyber attacks that occurs while on public WiFi is a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack. MITM attacks involve the manipulation of networks or the creation of malicious networks under the control of cybercriminals. During this type of cyber attack, the attacker attempts to intercept the data between those involved. The ultimate goal is to intercept the data being sent and use it for malicious purposes. Because anyone can connect to a public WiFi network, you have no idea who may be watching and waiting to intercept your data. 

Although public WiFi is convenient when traveling or doing work from a cafe, it’s important to know the threat that it poses to your online security. Implementing strong passwords, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your phone is crucial if you want to use public WiFi securely. 

9. Never jailbreak or root your phone 

If you’ve ever thought about jailbreaking your iPhone or rooting your Android device to make it look aesthetically pleasing, you should consider the risks that come with it. Jailbreaking or rooting your phone will prevent automatic updates and leave you more vulnerable to security threats among other negative consequences. Additionally, jailbreaking or rooting your phone can also result in you losing your phone’s warranty.  

Can you check if your phone is hacked?

Yes, there are a few ways you can check if your phone is hacked. The best way is by looking for the signs of a hacked phone. Some of the signs that could indicate your phone is hacked include the following:

• Noticing higher data usage
• Seeing new apps you didn’t download
• Your battery draining quicker than usual
• Receiving random 2FA code requests
• Your phone’s camera indicator light is on when you’re not using your camera

Keep your phone protected against hackers

By implementing some of the tips above you can keep your phone protected against hacking attempts and if you lose or have your phone stolen. In addition to implementing the tips above, we also recommend following basic cybersecurity precautions to avoid having your private information get into the hands of cybercriminals.