Keeping your mobile devices safe
4 proactive steps to keep mobile devices safe from hackers and intruders
Most businesses use a mix of laptops, smartphones and tablets. These devices may be issued by the company or owned personally by employees but, either way, are likely to contain a lot of sensitive data. Keeping all your mobile devices secure is critical to protecting your information and minimising the risk of losing money.
Since they travel with staff, mobile devices need as much or greater protection than your desktop computers. The following four tips can help keep your mobile devices safe from cyber attack.
#1: Use password protection
The simplest and most effective way to protect your mobile devices is to use password protection. All mobile devices should have a complex password that’s difficult to guess. Ideally, passwords should be 12 characters long and include a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols.
Staff should have different passwords for each of your devices and accounts. That way, if one of their passwords is compromised, the others will still be safe.
#2: Use mobile device management software
Today’s smart devices come with a suite of tools to help protect your data if the device is lost or stolen, including tools that:
- Automatically lock devices after periods of inactivity
- Track the location of a device
- Remotely lock the device to prevent anyone else using it
- Remotely wipe the data stored on the device
- Remotely retrieve a backup of data stored on the device
Setting up these features is usually quick and easy, so there’s no excuse not to use them. Mobile device management (MDM) software makes it even easier by enabling you to configure and patch the security settings on all the devices in your fleet simultaneously from a central application.
Some MDM solutions also help you track data usage, so you can manage costs while keeping an eye out for unusual activity.
#3: Keep your devices and apps up to date
When it comes to security updates, mobile devices should be treated the same way as desktop computers. Make sure that staff know how to install security updates and the automatic feature is turned on for all devices.
#4: Protect your data when using public wi-fi
Using public wi-fi is convenient, but it’s also one of the easiest ways for hackers to get access to your devices and data. Educate staff to be especially cautious when connecting to wi-fi in places like airports and coffee shops and avoid logging into any sensitive accounts or websites while they’re connected.
The best way to protect your business is to not connect to unknown public wi-fi hotspots at all. Instead, have your staff use a 4G or 5G connection with in-built security. You can also use tethering (which turns your mobile device into a personal hotspot) to create a secure connection for other devices and wireless dongles (which connect devices to the internet via a USB port).
Avoid using any file-sharing services, as these can be exploited by hackers.
Summary
Mobile devices are an essential part of business but they also come with unique security risks. Make sure the security features of your devices are up to date and staff are using strong and effective passwords. Mobile device management software can make it easier to manage the security of your fleet of devices at the same time. Instead of using public wi-fi, choose alternative methods to connect to the internet. With these steps, you can help keep your mobile data safe from cybercrime.
CNS IT provide managed IT solutions and support to small and medium sized organisations across North Wales, Cheshire and Wirral.
www.cns-it.co.uk