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10 ways to Keep your Mobile Data safe from mCrime

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A smart thief will go after smartphones: a portal through which to gain access to your money, accounts, data and social. Few people think they’re not smart enough to prevent a crime involving their precious mobile phone, but it happens to even the highly educated who think they can’t be outwitted. mCrime is big business and knowing how to protect yourself is a big deal.

5WTexts, e-mails, social media and so much more contain enormous amounts of private information. And crooks know how to get this information. One trick is to send a phishing e-mail: a scam that’s designed to sucker the recipient into giving away personal information or money. In one study, 100,000 phishing e-mails were sent out. Three thousand people responded, and of those, almost three quarters came from smartphones.

People are sloppy with guarding their smartphone, and this is how criminals infiltrate. But it doesn’t take a high IQ to beat the bad guys at their game.

  1. It’s only a matter of time before you misplace your smartphone, giving the wrong hands a chance to grab it. So protect it with a password (and a tough one to crack, like 47%R$PUy rather than 789hot). Even a great password should be changed every so often.
  2. And the greatest password on earth still shouldn’t be used for more than one account; use a different one for every single account.
  3. And speaking of misplacing it, make sure it has a locator. Add a layer of protection by having a remote-wipe capability in case the device vanishes.
  4. Regularly back up the data that’s on your smartphone.
  5. Did you know a hacker can find out where you live or work simply from the photos you’ve put up in cyberspace? They are geo-tagged, but you can disable this feature.
  6. When you’re not using the device, keep it disconnected from cyberland.
  7. When you are connected, don’t visit your bank or other places that have sensitive personal data. But ig you just have to, run a program called Hotspot Shield. This way all your data is encrypted on the wireless wild wild web.
  8. Think twice before clicking on the photo of that busty babe or chiseled stud; the image link might take you to a malicious website that will download a virus to your phone.
  9. Never open a link inside an e-mail, even if the sender seems to come from your bank or Uncle Sam. Use a password manager or manually type the url in your browser.
  10. Last but not least, regularly update your device! As cyber attacks evolve, security must keep up to patch up these new holes. Leave a hole open, and a hacker could get in and steal the information you have stored in your phone, like addresses, account numbers, anything he wants.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to Hotspot Shield. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him discussing internet and wireless security on Good Morning America. Disclosures.

Is your Phone being tracked?

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The owner of your favorite restaurant may be tracking your every move—via your smartphone. Not because he’s a snoop, but because he believes knowing when and where you go for entertainment will benefit his business.

5WAnd how did he pull this caper off? There’s are companys out there, that place sensors in businesses within a confined location to track shoppers as they ambulate about town.

The sensors track signals emitted from Wi-Fi-enabled mobiles. The mobile-user’s movements in daily life create a profile of that user. Gee, how invasive is that?

The business owners with these sensors justify the invasion by using the profile knowledge to promote their business. But are you cool with that?

Another sensor technology analyzes actual foot traffic patterns onsite. Large retailers you visit sometimes have these sensors, following your every move in the store. They might know if you are pregnant, have the flu or have a hot date that night. They will send you offers based on your needs. Some say this is kinda creepy.

It’s a booming business: tracking peoples’ daily movement patterns via their smartphone. But you can relax somewhat, because this technology does not reveal any names, just movement patterns. Still, it’s something you should be aware of.

But don’t relax too much, because some of these same services will run free Wi-Fi services on site or at local coffee shops and restaurants that people can log into with Facebook—doing so will reveal their name, age and social media profile.

Phone tracking is a godsend to business owners, however, because they can create promotions based on profiles: E.g., upon learning that most clientele are over age 50, a health club might decide to play mostly ‘70s music.

Nevertheless, as phone tracking booms, privacy concerns also boom. Do you want someone to track all your doctor visits, then sell this data to marketers based on what disease the tracking profile thinks you have? This seems to be where it’s all headed.

Companies in the U.S. still are not required to get your permission to collect and share your data for the most part. But you just never know what may come next.

Some helpful Information

  • Do you know what your cellphone carrier knows—about you? Because your phone sends signals to cell towers, your carrier knows your location. Phone companies sell this information to retailers and other entities.
  • The recent Apple iOS7 update launched a little known feature that tracks your every move. You might want to turn it off. Go to Settings/Privacy/Location Services then scroll all the way down to the bottom to “System Services” and scroll all the way down to “Freqent Locations” and check it out. It knows your History! Turn that puppy off!
  • One option is to turn the Wi-Fi off on your phone. It doesn’t have to be on when you’re driving from the gym to the donut shop to the computer store.
  • A better option is to download and install Hotspot Shield VPN that encrypts your wireless internet and surfing activities.
  • An iPhone has more settings in “Settings/Privacy/Location Services” that control which apps can monitor your location. Determine which ones you want on. Think “minimize my footprint”
  • Android users should turn off location tracking.
  • Like to take photos with your mobile? Guess what: iPhone saves the location where you took the shots, which is no secret once you post the photos on FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This isn’t such a good idea. Shutting down location based apps will help here too.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to Hotspot Shield VPN. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him discussing internet and wireless security on Good Morning America. Disclosures.

Apple Makes Life Harder for iPhone Thieves

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You probably know that iPhones are high on the wish list of thieves all over the country—so much so that data from the New York City Police Department reveals that iPhone and iPad thefts have soared 40 percent compared with the same period last year, according to CNET. A total of 11,447 cases of stolen Apple devices were reported to the city’s police, an increase of 3,280 over the last year.

Apple has been paying attention, and the new iOS7 has made it difficult for a thief to sell or reuse that stolen phone. This is because of a feature that prevents a wiping/resetting of the phone without the user’s Apple ID.

Here’s how: iPhone users who upgrade receive an email explaining how the new theft deterrent works, along with information on what to do in the event someone sells or transfers an iPhone to another party. It looks like this:

Dear Apple iPhone Customer:

Congratulations on your update to iOS 7. As an iCloud user, part of your upgrade includes new features built into Find My iPhone that make it harder for anyone else to use or sell your device if it is ever lost or stolen.

With Find My iPhone turned on in iOS 7, your Apple ID (email@xxxx.com) and password will always be required before anyone can:

•           Turn off Find My iPhone on your device.

•           Erase your device.

•           Reactivate and use your device.

There is nothing you need to do except to keep Find My iPhone turned on and remember your Apple ID and password. For more information, read the FAQ.

Note: As always, if you plan to give your device to someone else, make sure to erase all content and settings before transferring it to the new owner. This will remove the device from your account and allow the new owner to activate it. For more information, read What to do before transferring ownership of your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to Hotspot Shield VPN. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him discussing internet and wireless security on Good Morning America. Disclosures. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247.