‘Tis the season of giving, but let’s be sure we’re not giving more than we want. Criminals are anxiously hoping and waiting for us to allow our personal information to reach their hands.
As part of my ambassadorship with Hotspot Shield, I wanted to share some tips you may or may not have thought of when using your smartphone.
Smartphone Security Tips
Lock Your Phone – I hate using that stupid pin just as much as the next guy, but I do it anyhow. It’s a layer of protection against anyone who should gain access to my phone.
Don’t let your phone save all of your passwords. At the very least, make sure it’s not saving your financial-related passwords.
Turn off automatic WiFi connection – Not only does this constantly give out your location, but it allows criminals the ability to access your information as public WiFi connections are not secure. (You can use Hotspot Shield to secure that connection.)
Use security software – Androids are slightly more prone to attack than iPhones, but we should all have protection. (Hotspot Shield users are protected as antivirus protection is included.)
Search and Destroy – Install software that can not only track your phone if it’s lost or stolen, but can erase all of your personal content.
Don’t use the same password for everything. There’s one school of thought where you can use the same password within categories (i.e. financial, medical, email accounts). I personally prefer to have a different one for everything; it’s annoying, but it’s safer.
My husband loses his phone like it’s his job. I’m totally forwarding this to him!
I lost my iPhone at Disneyland last year and didn’t have a passcode on it, nor did I sign up for my info to be swiped if I ever lost it. You can bet your bottom I did all of the above as soon as I got a new phone, though.
I’ve never thought about turning off my WiFi connection, so I’m definitely adding that to my list of things to do. Thanks for the tips!
These are great tips, now if I had a smartphone….I guess I can use them on my laptop just as well
I’m going to definitely turn off the automatic WiFi connection on my phone.
I know I really should use the lock panel – but it’s such a pain. I can see you shaking your finger at me though, so I’ll go activate it now (hangs head in shame…)
I totally needed these tips because I’m nervous I might lose my phone. I also had no idea about the security risk involved with leaving my wifi connection on. Thanks.
I have an old Windows phone and I really don’t use it for much else other than talking and texting. I may be getting an iPhone soon though I will have to consider the Hotspot Shield it really sounds like something you should have for your phone.
I never used to lock my phone, and then I was traveling for work and thought I better asap just in case. That code is annoying but it is at least one step to secure any info on the phone.
What great and timely tips, especially now when so many shop online. Thanks for sharing about using Hotspot Shield instead of WiFi. Noted!
I had to come back b/c I realized this is for Smart Phones, and I have an LG Optimus so I’m wondering if the Wii Fi would be the same for my phone.(?)
I didn’t know about the Wii Fi so I just turned it off on my phone. That’s scary that a criminal can get my info. I have different passwords for everything too. Great tips! Thank you 🙂
My sister just told me about turning off my wifi connection this past weekend. I would have never thought of that on my own. Keeping our phones safe is so important because of the vital information we store in them. This is great information.
ok…I seriously didn’t know that about turning the wifi off! You’re scaring me Liz!
These are some very great tips here! I am going to pass them along to my two teenagers for their phone security!
These are great tips. As rule of thumb I don’t use my cellphone to access any of my secure website.
Really great tips! Especially the antivirus software tip.
Thank you for sharing!
These are great tips.. now days where everyone uses their cell phone for everything from TXT to purchasing things online and online banking this is a MUST..thanks for sharing
That’s a really good point about the automatic wi-fi connection. Mine always hooks up at Starbucks without me telling it to.
I realize that I don’t do any of these things.. because they’re all such a pain to do.. especially changing up the passwords.. they’re getting out of hand how many we need.. how they have to be done (number of characters and alpha-numeric) but I realize that’s all very wise advice.
Do people really store passwords on their cell phone? I don’t go to any sites on my cell that require a password. I almost never lock my phone and probably should, this is a great reminder.
I use different passwords for everything, too. They make sense to me, even though they don’t to anyone else(which is the point!).
Really good tips. I try to change my passwords all the time and make them really hard. Of course I have a password protect program for my passwords too. I love these tips.
I have my phone locked because of my son.. He will call whoever, whenever and I get stuck explaining… But then he thinks its fun to jam on the screen and the phone locks up because he does not know the password to unlock the screen.. ugh! Plus I refuse to do anything financial on my phone.. 🙂
Those are some great tips. Thanks for the info. I’m not that great when it comes to security for my phones.
Thanks for all the great security tips. I think sometimes we all have the attitude it won’t happen to us until it happens to us. I am definitely going to be using your smart phone security tips and encouraging my kids to do the same.
I’m going to try the hot spot shield! This is good information especially this time of year!
These are great tips and I will say they I do most of them. Though I never thought about turning off the automatic wifi. Thanks for sharing!
Great tips. I change my passwords a whole lot and lock my phone too
great tips, i am constantly changing passwords, annoying but i feel better.
these are great tips and not one of them is applied on my phone… argh! thanks for reminding me to be extra careful and more protective with my phone
Thanks for the tips. I’m guilty of using open wifi’s. I should just take my hotspot with me. I do use security software, though.
All good tips — especially with passwords. It’s too easy to use the same passwords and easy to remember ones.
Ugh, I HATE using the locks as well. I’ve never heard of hotspot shield but seems like a great solution for my S4.
On one of the other Hotspot Shield posts, I learned to turn off my Wifi when I leave the house. I have been doing it ever since! 🙂
Great security tips! I need to get Hotspot shield. It seems like it would be well worth it.
These are great tips! I hate using the pin too, but I know it is necessary. Thanks for the reminders!
I’m trying so hard to get better with my passwords. I actually have a really good one that I use now, but I use it too much. Bad habit!
These are some great tips. My husband lost his smartphone a few years ago and he never locked anything up so God knows how many photos and information were accessed by whoever found it.
Awesome tips for phone security! Thanks Liz! I hate the password code, but I agree it is a good defense.
Or you could be like me and piss your sister off because you don”t have a smart phone, or texting. She gets so annoyed with me. 🙂
This post should have been titled, “Jessica this is what you are doing wrong.” Thanks for the heads up. I did not know about the wi-fi tip or the search and destroy.
Thanks for all the tips… I have to admit, I DO do a lot of these “no-no’s”.
I especially like the tip of not letting the phone store all the passwords. Very good tip.
Thank you for the great tips, our phones save a lot of time but they do create great access points for getting our inforamtion.
always important to keep safety measures up to date!! its scary how much of our information can be accessible with our phones
Great tips! I have to lock my phone b/c my kids like to get one it and play games (which drains my battery!)
I will look into this app. I do not shop or store my bank’s info on my phone. But I would hate to have someone get a hold of my phone giving them access to all the data stored in it.
These are great tips. I had my yahoo password stolen from on my phone a few years ago. I couldn’t believe it!
These are great tips! I recently misplaced my cell phone and nearly freaked out when I figured out what all someone could have access to. I nearly cried tears of joy when I found it.
These are good ideas and strategies that are easy to implement.
Those are great tips. I always have my phone locked with a password.
i have a diff password on everything!! it’s hard to remember but so important
Great tips. Safety first with everything!
I tend to used the same stuff on everything. These are good tips, thanks for sharing them
I am bad about using the same password. But I have been changing all of them recently.
What great tips. I don’t often go WIFI in public, but do at times. I really need to remember these tips.
I’m ALWAYS worried about smartphone security, so these tips are much appreciated! I’m implementing the “search and destroy” tip tonight!
I never go on public wifi, since I’m scared of the security issues, but have a bad habit of never locking my phone.
I always lock my phone but good article. Technology can be scary too
Loved your tips!
Yikes! I never really thought much of security on my phone. I will have to turn off automatic wifi!
Thanks for the tips. I have a lock on my iPhone you have to be so careful.
I had not thought about the destroy part of the search and destroy. I have a friend whose iPhone was stolen (and she never recovered it.) It’s scary what the other person had access to because I KNOW she did not do half of the tips above!
Those are great tips. I know my husband uses something so he can wipe our phones if they are lost, not sure what the name is though.
Also if you have that find my iphone app, its the best!
My husband always stresses to me about turning off wi-fi. And he did finally break me down and I now lock my phone. 🙂 Great tips!
Great tips… I never thought of turning off my wifi… thank you
There’s software to delete all your data if your phone is lost? Ok I need this! My husband loses his phone all the time we’ve replaced it about 5 times NO I am not kidding. In the last five years we’ve replaced it too many times
I didn’t know you could find a program to erase your info. if the phone is lost or stolen. I love that feature!
I now know to turn off my phone’s GPS tracking device because I do not want people knowing where I am..that is just creepy1
very good tips. one of the reasons i dont have a pin on my cell is because my 5 years old son uses my cell phone all the time, i would really hate for him to enter the wrong pin and then get locked out of my iphone. will turn off the wifi auto connect though, that’s a great tip.
These are awesome tips, love them! I recently finally put a password on my iPad… it’s slightly annoying for me, but is SO worth it for that just in case moment!
I have a bunch of different passwords too. Sadly I can never remember them all!
I don’t have a smartphone as yet, but very good tips!
I always lock my phone it’s important to me to do that everyday!
I am with you. I hate locking my phone,but realize how important it is. Just having pictures of my kids alone on my phone makes me want to lock it to protect them. I didn’t realize the wifi feature being left on is traceable. Scary! Thanks for sharing this tip1
Working in the high school I have to be extra careful. I definitely keep a password on my phone!
I really need to start locking my phone. I don’t think I ever have, and I’m sure I’ll eventually regret it.
I was so bad about changing my passwords until all of my mom’s accounts were hacked. Seeing what she went through has proven to me that it’s worth the hassle! One thing I could do to have a more secure phone is to use a passcode, as you mentioned; I’m bad about that one.
Ugh, I hate putting in my password, too! I’m always paranoid that someone is going to steal my phone (I live in NYC and people get mugged for their phones all the time) so I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Great, great tips. My husband laughs at me because I have a password on my phone. I am constantly entering it – even at home. But, I feel much safer with it on there!
I have more then a couple of passwords myself–it is a pain but a whole lot safer. I do not have a smartphone and probably will not be getting one but this is very good info for all who do. Privacy is so very important these days.
Thank you for the tips. I will be sure to share them with my friends.
Great tips! I’ve never thought about turning off the WiFi connection, that is a great idea!
i think not saving all of your passwords on your phone is a good idea
I heard about the finger print app on the new iPhone and thought that sounded really cool!
I’ve started locking my phone too. I hate having to punch in that pin code but I do it anyway.
I had no idea that by not turning off my WiFi connection that criminals the ability to access your information as public WiFi connections. That’s pretty scary! Thanks for the tips!
Not saving the password for everything is a pain of mine I need to check on that. I do have a security thing on my phone just in case it gets lost or stolen. Some people’s phones are their lives.
Im bad about doing some of those. I need to be smarter to mine!
Really good tips! I need to turn my lock screen on!
What a lot of great tips. I don’t have a mobile phone but I will be passing these on to my daughter and grandson.
These are such great tips! I think I would be lost without my phone, but at least I know that someone won’t be able to help themselves to all my accounts and bank info if I did lose it.
Good idea to turn off the WiFi connection. Never thought of this result.
I don’t have a Smart phone, but my brother does and he isn’t very carefully with it! I can literally hack into all his stuff because he uses the same 2 passwords for everything!
Thanks for sharing! Those are helpful tips and we will be applying those pronto!
My daughter tries to sneak behind me while i unlock my phone so she’ll know the code
she is so sneaky LOL!
love the idea of apps that can destroy personal info
I hate that pin number too but when I upgraded to IOS 7 I went ahead and added a code. My son had a code on his phone and it was stolen it was great to have it on there because I know they couldn’t get to the information without turning it on and I had it set to erase when it was turned on.
This is so important during the holidays, with all the shopping we do – going to more stores, buying things through our phones, etc etc. I still need to set up my fingerprint on my new iPhone 5S. I cannot believe I’ve waited so long to do it!
Good advice! People don’t always think about these thinga
Those are great tips! I never knew about the search and destroy thing!
These are all such great tips! I really need to get some type of security software on my phone, I don’t have one yet!
I have my phone password/fingerprint protected because of my kids. Never thought of it from a security standpoint.
Of course, I need to teach them that they can make an emergency call on the phone should they need to.
i try to switch up my password but its hard to remember them all
My husband works in IT so I’ve learned most of these lessons over the years. I have such complex passwords – and of course, different ones for everything – that I usually forget them and have to reset them. LOL
Good tips. I never save my passwords on my smart phone or stay logged into any site with it!
Excellent tips. I don’t get out much and always have my phone with me, but I need to be more careful. You just never know.
Great tips. I love that the new iphone has a fingerprint scanner.
These are all good suggestions. Especially keeping your phone locked. It can be a pain but really is the basic first line of defense.
My granddaughter was able to track her phone when it was taken!
I need these constant reminders that we have to think about on-line safety everywhere, on computers, tablets, and phones!
mitch
Fabulous safety tips. I just upgraded my phone to one that has a lockout feature. Thanks for the reminder to start USING it!
These are really great phone security tips! I think we all can get so careless when it comes to storing our personal and financial information on our phones! I really hate that PIN but you’re right — I should turn it on and use it for peace of mind!
I am guilty of not doing most of the things you suggest. You are right, in today’s age we need to protet our information…it is just so darned inconvenient!!!
Good advice, especially that PIN. I end up turning it off when I’m at home and then forgetting to turn it back on when I’m out and about. Not smart.
my phone is dumb – and truthfully, securitywise, I’m glad that the risk is not there. It’s nice not being connected 24/7
All passwords should be changed out on a regular basis, whether you use one or individual. Sometimes people make their life very complicated by setting up unique strong passwords for each need and then they never bother to change nay of them. Ironically they often have paper lists of which password goes to each account which is incredibly risky
Scary!
Thanks for the tips!
I don’t have a smart phone but those are very good tips.
Awesome tips. I’m always paranoid that someone will grab my phone from me, or from the cup holder on the stroller, or while I’m at the grocery store and using it for my list. I try to keep it in my front pocket if I’m actively using it (like grocery shopping or going to use a digital coupon).
Can you believe I still have a ‘dumb phone’? One day I’ll upgrade and these tips will come in handy!
good tips. wish i could do the passwords one, but that one get me. i have 3 that i use over and over. if i had a different one for everything, i’d never remember which was which and i wouldn’t be able to access anything.
Very good ideas. I don’t have a password on my phone at all. Guess i need to fix that.
Great tips. I agree that entering your pin is a pain. but it is so worth it. Also keeping your wi-fi off helps your battery last longer. so it’s a win, win situation.
Thanks for the tip about automatic wi-fi. It’s something you don’t really think about.
These are very good tips that I need to follow because of so much identity thefts going on. I like the one about locking my phone! It is so important to make my data is safe on my phone!
Thanks for this great information. If I ever get G and then get a smartphone I’ll know where to turn for protection
thank you for these tips. i never thought about locking my phone or turning my wifi off. there are so many criminals out there and its just not something i have ever thought bout. i am going to be sure and start doing.
SO helpful, thank you!!!
Great tips! I don’t have a smart phone right now, but I’ll keep these tips in mind if I ever get one.
Great tips!!! Never thought to turn off automatic wi-fi thanks for the heads up makes total sense!!