10 Ways to Protect Your Smartphone From Hackers.

 

How to protect your smartphone from hackers? Smartphones have become part of our daily lives in this part of the world. We all know the importance of the smartphone in our lives, it has made life easier for people in handling most of their online activities but it has its problems and security is one of them. Every technology has its challenges,  The question now is, what are the ways to protect your smartphone from hackers?

But before we proceed, let's understand who is a hacker in this context.

Who is a Hacker?

Anybody who uses computer skills to gain unauthorized access to a network, computer systems or data is a hacker. They can achieve this through various ways like coding, social engineering and exploiting vulnerabilities in the system, most time to breach security measures.

It is important to note that not all hackers are bad, this will lead us to know the types of hackers in the industry.

Types of Hackers

• Black Hat Hackers: These are the bad guys, they use their technical skills for malicious purposes like spreading malware, stealing sensitive information and disrupting systems. Whenever we talk of hackers in this article, we are talking about these bad types of hackers.
• White Hat Hackers: These are the good guys in the industry, they are also called ethical hackers. These guys use their skills to help businesses and organizations improve their security by identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses in their systems.
• Gray Hat Hackers: These are the ones in between the black and white hackers, they are the good and bad guys of the industry. They may use their hacking skills for personal gains and they may also help organizations or businesses in protecting their computer systems.

We know what hackers can do, but the biggest question now is how do you protect your smartphone from hackers, especially the Black Hat Hackers?

Here are 10 Ways to Protect Your Smartphone From Hackers.

1. Use Strong Password: Avoid using guessable information like date of birth, family name, phone number and common words for your password. Just like I said in my previous post, always use a strong combination of alphabets, numbers, special characters, and upper and lower case as passwords for locking your devices. 
2. Activate Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Enable 2FA on your smartphone and other applications on your phone, this will give an extra layer of security to your device. Even if hackers have access to your password, it will be difficult to access your account without the 2FA code. 
3. Install Anti-Virus Software: There is very reliable Anti-Virus software available for your device, it helps in detecting and removing malware from your devices. Always keep the updated version of the software. 
4. Keep Your Operating System and Apps Up-to-date: The best practice is to always have the updated operating system and apps, this will take care of security patches thereby blocking all the system vulnerabilities. 
5. Be Mindful of Public WI-FI: Avoid using public WiFi or networks to access your sensitive information. If you must use public WiFi, consider using a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt and secure your data. Detailed report on how to use public WiFi 
6. Use VPN: Install a reliable virtual private network(VPN) on your smartphone. This will encrypt your Internet traffic from attackers especially when using public WiFi. 
7. Disable Bluetooth and Location When Not in Use: The best practice is to disable Bluetooth and location when not in use. This will prevent hackers from exploiting the vulnerabilities in the Application to gain access to your smartphone. 
8. Use a Secure Lock Screen: Avoid using patterns to lock your screen because they can be easily guessed. Use passwords, PIN, facial or fingerprint. 
9. Monitor Your Phone's Permissions: Review the permissions granted to Apps on your phone regularly, and if necessary revoke access to your sensitive information. When installing new Apps make sure you only grant necessary permissions. 
10. Regular Backup: Backup your phone's data regularly to a secured location preferably on the cloud storage or external hard drives. This will help you to recover your data when your smartphone is compromised. 

These are the ways to protect your smartphone from hackers. You can significantly reduce the risk of your smartphone being hacked by following these steps. Your data will be secured if you continue to be cautious about the activities of Black Hat Hackers. 

Stay safe! 

Also read How to secure Your Android in Nigeria