Cybercrime is one of the most lucrative illegal businesses of our time, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Over the last decade, cybercriminals have developed new and increasingly sophisticated ways of capitalizing on the explosion of Internet users, and they face little danger of being caught. Meanwhile, consumers are confronted with greater risks to their money and information each year.
The proliferation of mobile devices has provided a new opportunity for cybercriminals. With mobile shipments now outpacing PC shipments, there is now a large enough pool for the cybercriminals to start to leverage this base to make money.
Here are 5 quick tips to help you protect your mobile device and your data on the device.
- Put a PIN on it – As a first basic step make sure you use a PIN code or password to lock your device and make sure it is set to auto-lock after a period of time.
- Think before you click: Being on the go is convenient, but in our rush to respond, we don’t always take the time to look carefully at texts, email and social posts to make sure they are valid. Always be careful when clicking on links that you receive from anyone.
- Don’t be app happy: Be careful what apps you download and where you download them from. Most malicious software for mobile devices is distributed through “bad” apps.
- Be careful where you search: Double-check a website’s address and make sure that it appears legitimate by reviewing the URL or rather than doing a search for a site, type in the correct address in the URL bar to avoid running into any phony sites.
- Secure your device: Make sure all your mobile devices have comprehensive security software, like McAfee Mobile Security or McAfee LiveSafe (for all your devices) that protects you from threats, helps you avoid risky websites and malicious apps, and in the event of loss or theft, lets you remotely backup, lock and if necessary, wipe all the data from your mobile device.