4 simple tips to protect your phone

 

The tongue-in-cheek comment by Megan Fox, about living in a world where losing your phone is more dramatic than losing your virginity, perfectly describes today's generation. We carry our world in our pockets, our smartphones pay our bills, help us socialize and connect us to the web.

They store our dirty laundry in the form of web browsing history and naughty photographs, SMSs and chats. Our families, friends, workplace, even our banking details - our whole life - is at the mercy of our phone.

Now imagine losing your whole world in a restaurant washroom, or in the backseat of a cab. Worse still, imagine a stranger grabbing your smartphone.

Why land in such a situation, when you can protect the data on your smartphone by using these simple tips. 

Enable PIN/password protection

 

This feature is present by default in every smartphone. It is important to use the strongest PINs and passwords.  

 

Encrypt the data stored on your phone

 

 BlackBerry provides encryption through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) application , while Apple offers "strong hardware encryption".

Most modern Android phones do not have data encryption built into the hardware , which means that you'll have to rely on third-party apps to secure your text messages, email, and other critical communications.The encryption apps vary according to the cellphone make. 

 

Use the right management system

 

Some smartphones can be configured to use your rights management system to prevent unauthorized persons from viewing data or to prevent authorized users from copying or forwarding it.

It puts a lock on downloading and uploading files to your phone. Look for phones that have these features. 

Download password management software

 

There are a number of password management softwares and apps available depending on your phone. They keep your passwords, credit cards and other confidential information in a central place and offer encryption to protect that data.
So, even if your smartphone is lost, no one can read your important information without your password.
--Caroline D'Cruz and Kritika Kapoor (TNN)