Carrying a Supercomputer in Your Pocket?

That’s right, when you are checking out the latest social media posts you have 100,000 times the power of the 1969 Apollo command module!

All of this power can be used for both good and bad.

Just like your laptop, your mobile phone is running an operating system. That system can be hacked and criminals can gain access to everything running and stored on your device – including corporate data such as email and documents, and/or personal data like bank accounts, personal communications, and pictures. They could also stream your cameras and microphone!

Ouch! How do we protect this device? First, treat it like you would any other computer. Install applications only from trusted sources like the Apple App store, and the Android Play store. Protect access to the device with a hard-to-guess PIN or activate biometric authentication such as fingerprint or facial recognition. Also consider not using public WiFi as there are several ways that this can lead to your phone being hacked.  If you have an unlimited data plan, make use of it!

Follow the same best practices as you would on your work computer such as not clicking on suspicious links or attachments in email and being on the lookout for phishing attacks.  Maintain physical control of your phone, especially in public areas, not everybody in the coffee shop has your best interest at heart.

Consider installing anti-malware software on your cell phone to help protect it. If your phone suddenly gets very slow it could be an indication that it has been compromised.  Alert your IT team and let them investigate.

Hopefully, your security IQ now matches your Wordle skills!