Safe........................Not really...............!!!
t’s happened to the best of us. Your smartphone was in your pocket and now it’s not. You walked off the airplane without your tablet that you just realized now lies helplessly in the back seat pocket.
Your device has gone missing. Cue the horror music.
Every so often, our mobile devices seem to get a little too mobile — thanks sometimes to the work of thieves — leaving us potentially vulnerable to identity theft, robbery and the loss of invaluable photos, videos and texts.
One Intel programmer had his iPhone stolen in a Portland bar, only to have the thief call every one of his contacts and leave irate messages. Not only was the programmer’s data gone, so were some of his friends — at least until he could explain the next morning.
“It was such a nightmare,” he said. “As I was trying to track down my phone and make a police report, I was also getting all these concerned and upset emails from friends. I had to explain, ‘No, that wasn’t me who called you last night drunk and yelling about joining the communist party.’”
The programmer never did recover his phone, but he did learn a valuable lesson. “Secure your device, secure your device, secure your device,” he said.
Once your smartphone or tablet is gone, there’s oftentimes no getting it back. Thankfully, as the programmer realized, there are simple steps you can take to avoid an all-out massacre of your sensitive data parts should your device disappear.
Device owners store an average of $37,438 worth of photos, personal information and digital assets on their mobile phones and tablets, according to a McAfee 2011 digital assets survey.
Simply creating a login PIN or password can deter some thieves and prevent them from assuming your identity should they get their hands on your device. It’s best to change passwords about every three months and to use separate passwords for each device you own.
Surprisingly, more than 50 percent of smartphone users don’t use any password protection to prevent unauthorized access, according to The Wall Street Journal. Savvy criminals may still be able to work around a password, but the majority will not.
Even if they can’t steal your data, it may still be gone for good unless you back it up. Keep electronic copies of your photos, videos, important texts and notes by setting up an external hard drive or cloud storage account.
You should also write down your phone and tablet’s serial numbers so you can correctly identify them should police recover them.
As the ultimate protective measure, you may want to consider installing security software, which can tell you the location of a missing device, lock it in the event of a theft and back up data seamlessly.
In the event your phone or tablet is stolen, make the last move by wiping it clean of your data using programs you can install now on your computer and device. Many of these services allow you to restore the data if the device is eventually recovered.
These are all steps the Intel programmer wishes he had taken before his phone was snatched that night in Portland. But, he’s wizened up now to the need for mobile security, and has made sure to lockdown and back up not only his smartphone, but also his iPad and laptop.
“All I can say is, good luck to the next person who tries that again,” he said.
How To Ensure This Doesn't Happen to You?
Learn more from Intel Mobile Security about how you can better protect your device. Find out out how get started with 6 simple steps that will keep you protected, and more importantly safe from the chances of a stranger calling all of your friends and frantically yelling at them.
Your device has gone missing. Cue the horror music.
Every so often, our mobile devices seem to get a little too mobile — thanks sometimes to the work of thieves — leaving us potentially vulnerable to identity theft, robbery and the loss of invaluable photos, videos and texts.
One Intel programmer had his iPhone stolen in a Portland bar, only to have the thief call every one of his contacts and leave irate messages. Not only was the programmer’s data gone, so were some of his friends — at least until he could explain the next morning.
“It was such a nightmare,” he said. “As I was trying to track down my phone and make a police report, I was also getting all these concerned and upset emails from friends. I had to explain, ‘No, that wasn’t me who called you last night drunk and yelling about joining the communist party.’”
The programmer never did recover his phone, but he did learn a valuable lesson. “Secure your device, secure your device, secure your device,” he said.
Once your smartphone or tablet is gone, there’s oftentimes no getting it back. Thankfully, as the programmer realized, there are simple steps you can take to avoid an all-out massacre of your sensitive data parts should your device disappear.
Device owners store an average of $37,438 worth of photos, personal information and digital assets on their mobile phones and tablets, according to a McAfee 2011 digital assets survey.
Simply creating a login PIN or password can deter some thieves and prevent them from assuming your identity should they get their hands on your device. It’s best to change passwords about every three months and to use separate passwords for each device you own.
Surprisingly, more than 50 percent of smartphone users don’t use any password protection to prevent unauthorized access, according to The Wall Street Journal. Savvy criminals may still be able to work around a password, but the majority will not.
Even if they can’t steal your data, it may still be gone for good unless you back it up. Keep electronic copies of your photos, videos, important texts and notes by setting up an external hard drive or cloud storage account.
You should also write down your phone and tablet’s serial numbers so you can correctly identify them should police recover them.
As the ultimate protective measure, you may want to consider installing security software, which can tell you the location of a missing device, lock it in the event of a theft and back up data seamlessly.
In the event your phone or tablet is stolen, make the last move by wiping it clean of your data using programs you can install now on your computer and device. Many of these services allow you to restore the data if the device is eventually recovered.
These are all steps the Intel programmer wishes he had taken before his phone was snatched that night in Portland. But, he’s wizened up now to the need for mobile security, and has made sure to lockdown and back up not only his smartphone, but also his iPad and laptop.
“All I can say is, good luck to the next person who tries that again,” he said.
How To Ensure This Doesn't Happen to You?
Learn more from Intel Mobile Security about how you can better protect your device. Find out out how get started with 6 simple steps that will keep you protected, and more importantly safe from the chances of a stranger calling all of your friends and frantically yelling at them.
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