Did you know Smartphones
are the most popular new target for threats such as malware and data theft? Our
illustrators have been busy coming up with this snazzy infographic – loads of
interesting info in there and some stats that might surprise you! Android seems
to have attracted the most attention from malicious code writers due to its
popularity, but all platforms are potentially at risk. You'll find info on what
could potentially happen if a phone is infected, what's happened so far, how
we're being targeted and how to avoid becoming a statistic with some handy dos
and don'ts on modern phone use. Not meant to scare! Just meant to inform. And it
can't hurt to stay one step ahead! Also, bear in mind that you're not alone. You
can always count on us to get rid of and keep away digital threats.
"All the security features
in the world will not help users if they don't activate them," said Jonathan
Blake Huer, director of emerging technologies and media development at Ball
State University. "It's usually built into the phone already, but it's useless
if you don't know how to use it." Most people would never dream of using
something as obvious as 1234 as the password to their important online accounts,
but some will protect their smartphones with such a sequence and leave the
online accounts it protects logged in for convenience.
Your first line of mobile defence should always
be to select a password that's both memorable for you and difficult for a thief
to crack. For a few years now, the best advice on creating memorable and secure
passwords has been to take the initial letters of a line in a song, poem, play
or book, and to make a password from those letters.