Sunday, October 7, 2012

Cell Phone Security Tips For Smartphones

By Kelly Tusa


In the space of just a few short years cellphone technology has taken several major jumps forwards in terms of both the features and the technology behind those features. Once upon a time cell phones were just used to make phone calls and send text messages but now they've progressed to the point where they offer the same features and functions as a small laptop computer.

This progress has meant that smartphones have become progressively more expensive which means they're now becoming a target of choice for many thieves. When it comes to what thieves are choosing to steal from gym lockers now, smartphones are being stolen more often than people's wallets and this is just because they're very easy to sell both online and offline and most people will never question where their cheap cell phone actually came from.

The reality of owning a smartphone is that you will have to take precautions to ensure that it's safeguarded against thieves of all kinds. The more difficult you make it to actually steal your cell phone the more any potential thief is going to avoid it and look elsewhere. Taking out an insurance policy on your smartphone is no excuse for avoiding putting some simple security measures in place too.

The first thing you need to do is enable the GPS feature on your smartphone because this can make it a lot easier for you to track it down if and when it does get stolen. Most people don't realize that your cell phone provider has a security team who can track down the location of any active cell phone based on which cell phone tower/mast it's currently being used near - just like in the movies.

The vast majority of smartphones will have Bluetooth built-in and this is a feature you should disable unless you're using it on a regular basis - thieves can use your Bluetooth signal to both hack into and track down the location of your cell phone.

Installing encryption software on your cellphone right now is a great idea because you can never be sure if or when your phone could be stolen. One of our favorite pieces of encryption and security software for Android smartphones is called "Vault" and unless your thief is technically adept they'll never be able to find the encrypted data on that phone.

You do always have the choice of installing some advanced tracking software on your phone too that will allow you to remotely monitor all the calls made on the phone, any text messages sent from it and any pictures sent or received from the phone - imagine being able to see the face of the thief! On top of that if your GPS feature is enabled you'll be able to use Google maps to track the phone down to the exact street the thief is living on, or the person who bought the stolen phone from them.

Cell phone theft is exploding right now so it's important that you take steps to protect your phone. After all there's no point in waiting until your phone is stolen to try protecting it right?




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