tablet screen showing alert for malicious activity

4 Tips on How to Avoid Malicious Activity on Your Phone

It seems that there is a fresh smartphone privacy leak each moment you look around. A few months ago, the infamous NSO Organization, a manufacturer of spying technology, abused weaknesses within iOS 9.3.5 to access emails along with chats, record audio, gather credentials, as well as potentially monitor people’ conversations and locations. In return, Apple published a firmware upgrade on August 25.

Similarly, a Linux issue discovered throughout Android 4.4 (also prevalent in all following editions) exposed 1.4 billion Android customers to hijacking attempts. The flaw enables cybercriminals to interrupt communications and introduce harmful malware or material inside users’ conversations if the links aren’t secured. Google officials claim to be informed about the flaw and therefore are “following the right steps.”

These breaches aren’t taking place in isolation. The mobile virus is prime territory for cybercriminals. As per a Pew Study Center survey from 2015, about two-thirds of people in the US own a cellphone, and around one-fifth of these people utilize their device instead of a desktop to perform the majority of their web surfing. The truth is that while additional individuals utilize their smartphones to access the internet, more hackers will accept the invitation.

Safeguarding Techniques

Now, what does all this signify for those who use smartphones? It suggests that staying cautious about cybercrime while using a smartphone is much more crucial. Here are four tips on keeping oneself, personal data, and the smartphone safe.

  1. Make a backup of your phone’s information. Try linking your gadget to the cloud storage service that comes with it to store away your information regularly (and encrypt it). But unless you don’t like the cloud, make sure you link to a Windows computer regularly to synchronize information to keep your images, movies, and applications safe.
  2. Put up a wireless erase system. You will be allowed to instantly delete the entirety of your smartphone’s information if it’s misplaced or damaged. You may generally employ remote erase to locate your smartphone.
  3. Try securing your information if it isn’t automatically the default setting on your smartphone. This is particularly beneficial for safeguarding confidential information, such as work emails or investment and financial applications.
  4. Use a passcode or biometric recognition to secure your smartphone. At least, hackers would have to sneak past that initial barrier when you forget your smartphone on the countertop at a coffee shop or if it is grabbed from your bag. Make your passcode lock’s timer as quick as possible—30 seconds and even lower should work.

an individual holding a smartphone with VPN enabled

Because there is such a wide range of smartphones available in the market, analysts can utilize a combination of many features. The UFS unit, for instance, is a cellphone maintenance tool that allows you to access your smartphone. Analytic features are available in other software applications to gather constructive data. We can assist you if you’ve been looking for dependable mobile forensic experts. We additionally offer video augmentation, sound verification, digital forensics, and much more at Eclipse Forensics! To access data and crucial evidence surrounding a crime scene, we employ cutting-edge tech. Your go-to specialists in smartphone digital forensics.

Contact us today to learn more about our services.

Posted in Blog, Mobile Forensics.