Did you get a tech toy or give one to your children for the holidays? You are so generous! But I have three words for you: passwords, theft and malware! What!? What did you say? Those three words should represent your focus for making those new or hand-me-down devices safer and more secured in the New Year. Here’s how:
Passwords: Just by setting a password on your device, be it a cell phone or tablet, you can prevent someone else (a child or a friend) from viewing photos, sending messages, or purchasing apps on your device. Just a simple 6 digit code can stop a whole lot of trouble brewing. Show your children how to set up a password today or tonight when they get home. You’ll be glad you did.
Theft: That’s the number one bad thing that happens to our mobile tech. We either lose it or it’s stolen and sometimes it’s hard to know which it is. So make sure you install an anti-theft app on your mobile phone or tablet. Just look in the app store. Norton makes a great one for the Android platform. And you’ll have the added advantage of being able to track it if all you did was leave it on the school bus or at work. If it’s stolen, you can also lock the device or wipe the data and prevent a bad guy from using the device or reading your mail.
Malware: Malware on mobile devices is just beginning and will continue to infect in bigger numbers in the future. Even so, our mobile devices connect to our wireless networks and can spread malware to the rest of the network. So you’ve got to secure your mobile devices just as you do your desktops and laptops. It just makes good sense. Get some Norton on your devices and keep malware, fake apps, and hackers off your network.