Smartphones and tablets provide us greater convenience, connectivity and flexibility to check our emails, stay updated on social media, play video games, keep in touch with family and friends, stream videos, or shop online on the go. However, any app you download can become a threat and that is the main reason we want to give you some tips to teach you how to protect your information at the first hand and stay away from mobile privacy attack.
Here are 5 suggestions for you to stay safe from any mobile privacy attack:
1. Check on credibility
Prior to installing any app, make sure to check on the rating, read the reviews, and even research it to confirm its credibility. Your mobile phone knows almost everything about you and also stores many personal data; therefore, you have to be extra careful what app to choose to add into your private little world – phone.
2. Review app permissions
Review your app permissions and be cautious if an app asks for permissions that are not necessarily required for its functionality. For example: A flashlight app doesn’t need to know your location. Many apps can properly function without getting all those permissions they ask for. Experiment along with your frequently used apps and see if they still work the way in which you need them by deactivating some or all of permissions they requested for. If there is any feature you don’t use on the app, just revoke the related invasive permission to get major privacy.
3. Update apps and remove the ones you don’t use
Always update the apps you use and delete the ones you don’t. Your phone probably contains too many apps that you don’t even need nor use. Deleting those you don’t use would help to optimize your phone’s performance and also protect you from potential vulnerabilities. Then constantly update the apps you keep in the phone to ensure the maximum level of security and functionality.
4. Get a mobile VPN service
Mobile VPN service is a good option. Poorly configured apps could have high level of vulnerabilities which may leak your traffic and personal information to snoopers. With a VPN app, each connection your device makes online will be encrypted including the apps. Through this method, it can help protect you from certain kinds of mobile attacks.
5. Use mobile browser instead
If you don’t like the idea that Facebook or its messenger tracks everything. Do not install their apps but simply use your mobile browser to scroll. It’s probably a little inconvenient, but this extra step provides you time to reflect: “Do I really need to check the news feed AGAIN?” and additionally assure the apps can’t snoop on your traffic and other apps. Inevitably, your messages will be still readable to Facebook and your information could still be vulnerable to any security breaches to come, however Facebook could have a lot of hard time monitoring you without their apps.
Protect your own online security is the task that only you can accomplish. Therefore, make sure you follow the above suggestions we gave you and take all the precautions to prevent putting your privacy in risk.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay