Advertisement

Smartphone safety: How to avoid being hacked through your apps

Smartphone safety: How to avoid being hacked through your apps

Because everyone and their grandmother has a smartphone these days, it's important to learn how to protect yourself from unsafe apps and, ultimately, the threat of being hacked.

The topic got us buzzing when it was reported last week that spy agencies in Canada, United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand tried to find ways to extract data from servers used by Google and Samsung's mobile app stores using an easily hacked app.

The compromised app, identified as UC Browser, is a very popular mobile browser in India, China and North America. Unsuspecting people who used the app could have had their phone number, SIM card number and details about the device leaked to servers in China.

A case like this, where the countries knew about the vulnerabilities in UC Browser but didn't inform the public, raises questions about whether or not it should be their responsibility to do so. Instead of waiting around for something to happen, we've listed some ways you can better protect yourself against hackers trying to steal your precious online information and install malicious software (such as malware) into your device.

Tips on How to Secure Your Smart Phone

  • Only download and install apps from reputable locations (i.e. iOS App Store or Google Play Store) that have lots of positive feedback and high ratings. You might want to search for most recent and helpful comments to get a better idea about that particular version of the app.

  • Always check out app permissions before downloading. Some apps require certain permissions to work properly but others don't need as much information as requested. A GPS app will need to use your GPS hardware, a note taking app should not. If something seems fishy, you're better off not downloading.

  • Be wary of open, unsecured Wi-Fi connections. Having access to Wi-Fi at a coffee shop, restaurant or shopping mall is great but leaves unsuspecting users open to privacy breaches. Hackers can easily install malware and access your information if you happen to check your e-mail or do some online banking. Our advice would be to either use your phone's actual data connection (not Wi-Fi) or keep the mobile banking at your home. If you absolutely need to use the Wi-Fi available, make sure what you're doing isn't super important.

  • Keep your phone up- to-date. If your phone requires a mandatory software update, chances are, it's for the better. You'll definitely want to read through the list of changes but, more often than not, it's likely to patch up any potential outlet for hackers to exploit.

In short, only download from secure, reputable sources and avoid anything that looks questionable. The biggest mistake anyone can make is getting too app-happy and not taking the time to read the permissions requested. With a little common sense, you should be able to keep your smart phone clean of malware and personal information out of the hands of hackers.