Preventing Identity Theft

Most of us are incredibly reliant on our cellphones these days. They have, in a lot of ways, become our little pocket-sized computers. You need to treat your cellphones just as you would your laptop or desktop computer at home, in regard to security. Updates on your phone are just as important as having virus protection installed on your computers. (By now, I have full confidence in all of you that you have been nudged enough to have virus protection on your computers). Updates sent out to your phone regularly are easy to ignore and put off until later, but really you’re only adding more risk by procrastinating and avoiding them.

Many of these updates contain important patches and additional security features that are regularly released and can protect your phone from being compromised. As annoying as it is to hand over those 10 minutes when your phone demands it, the best practice is to take the time to update your phone as soon as that little alert pops up on your screen. This doesn’t guarantee you are safeguarded against all security breaches and vulnerabilities, but it is one extra layer of security that will help reduce your risk.

As with any kind of software, there are flaws in any system and hackers are regularly attempting to find the weakest link. Many updates will essentially “patch” these vulnerabilities to alleviate some of this risk For the very same reason, it is just as important to keep all of your apps updated as well, first and foremost, any app that requires your personal data. However, as these updates are released to the public, they are essentially exploiting the holes in the codes. It is only a matter of time before hackers break the codes and figure out the latest update’s vulnerabilities – creating the essential need for regular updating in order to stay ahead of them. Every day you wait to install your update is an additional risk taken.

Some extra updating tips:

• Connect to a (secured) Wi-Fi. Some of these updates are rather large and can take some time to download and install. Without being connected to Wi-Fi, you may consume a large chunk of your data for the month.
• Many updates will not install without being connected to a power source. Wait until your battery is low enough to be charged and update then.
• Updates also tend to improve the overall functionality and speed of your phone, so updating is a win-win!

Happy updating!