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Information Security Tips Series |
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After the two previous issues offering smart tips, you should by now have a basic understanding of how to use your smartphones safely. However, some officers may still believe their smartphones can only be infected by a virus or experience hacker intrusion via the Internet or e-mails. They may think it is safe to operate smartphones if they turn off the Internet connection. Some may think there is no sensitive information stored in their smartphones and in case the phone is stolen, all they would have to do is to reset the phone and no particular loss would be incurred. Indeed, there are thousands of ways in which smartphones may be infected or intruded other than via the Internet. In addition to data loss, an infected smartphone may bring pecuniary loss as well. Hence, let's take a look at the additional safety measures for using smartphones. Do not open messages
from suspicious sources
If you open a virus contaminated text message or hyperlink, perpetrators may be able to control your smartphones. They may use your infected smartphone to spread a virus and even make your phone send charge-incurred messages continuously to service providers, resulting in huge pecuniary loss. For safety, you should be sure of the identity of the sender before reading messages or clicking hyperlinks. You should delete all suspicious messages immediately to mitigate risk. Do not always
activate Bluetooth function
Perpetrators can get access to your smartphones if Bluetooth is activated. They will first initiate Bluetooth connection. Once connected, they will send spyware or a Trojan to your smartphone, taking advantage of Bluetooth vulnerabilities. Then your data could be accessed or your smartphone could even be controlled externally. Therefore, you should only activate Bluetooth when required and deactivate it immediately after use. Risk of "Jailbroken"
smartphones
"Jailbreaking" means unlocking the operating system of smartphones to lift the restrictions of using applications from the official operator. Once jailbroken, users can subscribe to the service of other operators and to applications from sources other than the officially authorised one. By jailbreaking, the safety settings of the operating system of your phone are also cracked. Your smartphones are no longer operating under a safe condition. There was a recent case of a victim not knowing that his jailbroken smartphone had been infected with malicious software. When he was abroad, his smartphone sent text messages continuously without his knowledge. This resulted in extremely high roaming charges. Update operating
system regularly
Reputable smartphone manufacturers will update the operating system of their smartphones regularly. These updates strengthen the functions of smartphones and fix the security vulnerabilities of the operating system. Therefore, officers should regularly update the operating system and apply the security fixes of their smartphones. Smartphones are developing rapidly and their functions are comparable to notebook computers. Officers should always be vigilant when using their smartphones to protect themselves from any pecuniary loss or data leakage. |
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