Tablets and smartphones get damaged all the time, either through common user mistakes or through network access. The problem with these sorts of attacks is the fact that portable devices carry a tremendous amount of personal information- some of which may be used to gain access to your banking information or credit card. With the risks associated with a single device hacking, one would expect the public to be more aware and proactive about phone and tablet security.
But the extent to which people depend on their smartphones, and with global mobile usage rising, it’s safe to say that everyone prefers to control the risk rather than stop using smartphones. Much of the problem lies in content sharing, and the habit of posting sensitive information on open social media platforms (which may be used to gather information to access your device).
Apart from stealing your banking information, some illegal programs deliberately destroy your file system, damage your hard-drive and render all information therein useless. Some of your data might be retrieved but there are many problems with that. Here are some things everybody can do to keep personal data from going out to the public; so you don’t leave a trail of breadcrumbs leading to your phone or tablet:
- When using your device to take pictures, upload data online or search for content on search engines, ask yourself whether you’re generating material that can be used against you.
- Separate your personal life from your professional life. In the event that you can’t use separate devices for work and home, try maintaining a level of integrity that cannot jeopardize your job. It’s not the most ideal situation but it will guarantee that you never get in trouble for doing something common as forwarding a bad joke.
- Every device comes with its own security redundancies and most people forget to activate some of them. Configure the phone’s in-built security and use those settings to limit access to private files.
- If possible, limit the number of backups on your system. Some of these backup services aren’t properly secured and could be accessed- so unless you have confidence in a particular cloud-storage system or similar service, don’t use too many data-backup services.
- Stop recording every aspect of your life and posting on social platforms. Social networks are fun to use because they allow people to link up in a way that nothing else can replicate: but the downside is a serious security problem. Smartphones crash all the time, and major security platforms get accessed every other day, so there’s really no telling how secure your device is, and more importantly, the data stored on it.
- You may already know this from basic computer knowledge- deleting something on your device or online doesn’t erase it completely. This is truer of the internet, so just check everything you put in your device and be just as careful about the settings in some of your media platforms including simple mobile apps.
Most cases of device accessibility arise from problems that can be prevented, if only people had all the right information. Be sure to practice discretion the next time you use your device to store sensitive information, and contact professionals to handle all tablet and smartphone repairs.