How to Keep Your Mobile Device Secure

Smartphones and other connected devices have become the ultimate work accessories. Whether your company is 100 years old or celebrating its first birthday, the majority of your employees likely use these devices at the office and to work remotely. They have revolutionized the workforce in so many ways, and we can all agree that they're not going away anytime soon.

What kind of attacks?

That said, the more we use connected devices to download, store and view sensitive data, the more their security needs to become a major focus for businesses. According to the McAfee Mobile Threat Report, in the third quarter of 2017 alone, McAfee Labs detected over 16 million mobile malware infections, almost doubling the numbers found in 2016. The Report lists mobile malware as one of the leading types of attacks, citing spyware, botnet activity, banking Trojans, ad click fraud, and cryptomining as other threats.

How Can I Ensure My Mobile Devices Are Secure?

There are several things you can do to prevent a breach in your mobile devices:

1. Password protect your device

This one seems obvious, but you wouldn’t believe how many people don’t use a password for their mobile. If your device allows for facial or fingerprint recognition, ensure these are set up, too. Take every precaution you can so that in case your device is lost or stolen, strangers won't have access to your personal details and apps with stored passwords like Facebook or your mobile banking.

2. Be vigilant with your OS updates

Whether you use Android or Apple, keeping up to date with the latest software downloads is key. Tech experts are always fixing bugs and securing potential vulnerabilities that they include in the latest updates.

3. Set up remote wipe

Did you know there are programs you can download that allow you to wipe your phone data if it’s stolen? It may seem a bit CIA, but it’s very handy, especially if you store a lot of sensitive information on your device.

4. Use the real Play and App stores

Sometimes, it may seem tempting to download apps from a source outside Google Play and the App Store for many different reasons. Our advice? Just don’t. You can’t tell if these sources are trusted, and if they aren’t, that Candy Crush copy would not have been worth sacrificing your security.

5. Don’t put your faith in public Wi-Fi

You never know who else is using the connection. In a pinch, it’s okay to use it for simple tasks like checking the weather app but never perform online banking transactions or enter and submit passwords over an unencrypted connection.

How Can I Ensure My Employees Are Secure?

The bottom line is you can’t make sure everyone is using the proper passwords and settings to keep your company’s data safe. But the best you can do is provide information and training on how to keep safe and why it’s important to them personally and to the company.Internal campaigns about cybersecurity are a great idea. Enlist the help of a marketing or communications team to put together presentations about the current threats and the best ways to stay safe online at the office and remotely with mobile devices. It may seem like an obvious answer, but it's one of the best ways to make sure everyone at your SMB is on the same security page.

A Proper Backup and Recovery Plan Can Save You Time and Money

In the case of a mobile breach, ensuring your employee and client data is all properly backed up and ready to be recovered is essential to prevent downtime. As the online data recovery pro, StorageCraft offers plenty of options for your needs and the needs and budget of your business. Contact us today to learn more about our products and solutions or request a free demo of ShadowXafe and OneXafe.