About this time last year a friend of my lost everything in a wallet of his. He woke up and everything was gone. It was stolen, not by a stranger or hacker but by someone close to him, someone who had access to his phone. Someone who was also a trader like him (you have to have a certain level of knowledge about crypto to do what the person did.) Now, my friend took steps to make sure he’s safe from online hackers but not from his people close to him.
The operation was carried out at night while he was asleep, by the time he woke up it was too late.
I was reading an article related to this yesterday and that led me to remember that incident and all he went through. I won't wish that on my enemy. That is why I've decided to share this.
Common tips to keep your phone or laptop secure 1. Avoid giving out personal information
That text message that looks to be from your bank may not be. If you get requests via email or text
for account information from any business, contact the business directly to confirm the request. The
same advice goes for tapping links in unsolicited emails or texts.
2. Use a pin, password or pattern to lock your phone
However you choose, make sure people don’t have access to your device. Your passwords should be
private and known only to you.
3. Download apps only from trusted stores
If you’re browsing for a new game or something more productive, use places such as Google Play..
Make sure you check ratings and reviews if they are available, and read the app’s privacy policy to
see exactly what phone features it will have access to if you download.
4. Keep your operating system and apps updated
There are typically periodic updates to both of these that not only add new features, but also offer
tightened security.
5. Log out of sites after you make a payment
If you bank or shop from your smartphone, log out of those sites once your transactions are
complete. Other tips include not storing your usernames and passwords on your phone and avoiding
transactions while you are on public Wi-Fi.
6. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use
You think of them as ways to connect to something, but thieves can use them to connect to your
device and access files.
7. Protect your investment
Protect your phone in a way that if it gets stolen or missing, nobody can access your personal details
even if they gain access into the phone.
You could place a password to apps you use for transactions and also protect sensitive details like
transaction pins.
8. Only use apps you trust:
Only grant trusted apps permission to parts of your phone like location, calendar, contacts, messages.
I downloaded an app on my phone and it asked for permission for my keyboard. I became very
skeptical of the app and decided to delete it to be safe. I can't let any random app have access to
everything I type including my passwords.
9. Adhere to the security warnings of your phone or browser:
Sometimes you're about to visit a site and your browser gives you the “site is not secure” warning but
you refuse to listen and still go ahead. That's not safe for you and/or your device.
Never input your personal information or any information at all in a website that uses HTTP (no S). If
possible, avoid any website that is not HTTPS. An HTTP website means it's not secure so any
information you put there can be accessed by a third party.
In an article made by Bitdefender, (What is Online Privacy? And Why is it Important?) they had this to say;
"We can look at our personal data as something hackers either directly exploit or use as soon as they get a hold of it. It’s also something they can trade with other cybercriminal organizations. So, personal data is commoditized. It has a price. Your medical data, your financial history, your credit card data, your online shopping preferences have a price."
Liviu Arsene (Senior E-Threat Analyst, Bitdefender)
https://www.verizon.com/articles/8-common-sense-tips-to-keep-your-smartphone-secure/https://www.bitdefender.com/cyberpedia/what-is-online-privacy/
