It’s never been more important to make sure that your phone is safe and your personal information stays private. The number of cyber-attacks on mobile phones is growing by the day. For threat actors, a digital device is a digital device. It doesn’t matter if it’s a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. The person most likely to hack into your phone is someone that you already know. The fraudster will gain access to your financial information and withdraw money from your account, make clone credit cards, and buy items on less secure online platforms. While mobile phones heighten convenience, they bring about various security threats.
iOS is No Longer the Most Secure Mobile Operating System
The age-old debate over which mobile operating system is more secure is back. Until now, it was believed that iPhones are less susceptible to being hacked as compared to Android devices. Now we know better. While iPhones are inherently more secure, it’s not impossible for cybercriminals to invade iPhones. They can do so by just sending a text. If you thought your iPhone was safe, think again. There are a number of flaws that offer entry points into iPhones. Software improvements make a big difference in curbing the attacks against Apple users, but it’s only a matter of time until malicious actors find new ways to access data and wreak havoc.
According to Gil Shwed, the security risks between the two platforms are balanced. At least one person has a malicious app on their phone and is susceptible to an attack from the outside. Hackers are increasingly targeting Apple products. Those who have benevolently bought into Apple’s marketing about how safe their products are will be surprised to find out that iPhones can be hacked remotely via iOS vulnerabilities. Every data can be accessed, no matter how securely it’s kept. This is a real problem, so don’t overlook the possibility that your personal data may have been stolen by a fraudster.
iOS 15 3.1 Vs Android 12: A Comparison of Distinctive Features
iOS 15 privacy features are designed to minimize how much data we (or anyone else) can access. As an Apple user, you can:
- Protect Your Mail Activity. Companies and advertisers send you emails to learn about your activity in the Mail app. Mail Privacy Protection is a powerful setting. It’s not on by default, so turn it on when you open the Mail app for the very first time.
- Track Permissions for App Developers. You get to decide what information you share with apps. Apps will ask for your permission before tracking your activity. If, by accident, you press Yes instead of No, don’t worry because you can change it later.
- Identify Problematic Passwords. You can detect compromised passwords on your iPhone. Put simply, you can see which of your passwords are vulnerable. Maybe they’re too simple or the passwords are used for other apps.
If you haven’t already downloaded the iOS 15 3.1 updates, do it right now. It provides important security updates for your phone, including a Safari patch that enables the sites you visit to view your browsing history and other types of personal data. The update also addresses the memory corruption issue in IOMobileFrameBugger, which could have allowed malicious applications to execute code with kernel privileges. Like all iOS 15 updates, it’s free and compatible with Apple devices. It doesn’t bring any new features, so you’ll have to wait for the official version of iOS 15.4.
The Android operating system has come a long way since its humble beginnings. It’s perfectly capable of keeping security threats at bay. The second beta release includes very important features. Here are a few examples:
- Use the Privacy Dashboard. See what data has been accessed on your device and how often it’s been accessed. When you’re installing apps, they can ask permission to your camera, contacts, location, microphone, etc.
- Delete Your Advertising ID. Opt out of personalization by deleting your advertising ID. Stop third parties from linking information to your phone.
- Mic & Camera On/Off Toggles. You can manually disable the microphone and camera. If the microphone or camera is being accessed. If you open an app that requires access to the microphone or camera, you’ll have to unblock them.
Security of the Device is in the Hands of the User
What you do can hinder the overall security of your phone. Jailbreaking your phone, for instance, increases the risk of being hacked. The price of gaining full access to the root of the operating system and accessing all the features is ensuring security vulnerability. Jailbreaking an iOS device involves overcoming the limitations imposed by Apple.
This is done by identifying and exploiting a bug present in the operating system so that you can customize the appearance and performance of the device. In other words, by jailbreaking your iPhone, you remove the defenses Apple put in place to protect users from threat. Since the smartphone’s security protections are deactivated, threat actors can easily install malware and viruses.
As you can see, the security of your mobile device lies in your hands. If you want to mitigate the risks that iPhones carry as cybercriminals turn to target them. Here’s what you need to do:
- Never, ever connect to free Wi-Fi. Tempting as it may be to use free public Wi-Fi spots, they can be a major security risk. Malicious actors position themselves between you and the connection point. The Wi-Fi may be free, but your online activities are in danger.
- Don’t download just any app. The Apple App Store is still linked with malicious apps. So, be very careful what you download. Read the app description, keep an eye out for pop-ups, and protect your phone with security software.
- Use a virtual private network. Most importantly, use a VPN. It secures your online traffic against eavesdropping. All your Internet traffic is sent through an encrypted tunnel to the provider’s endpoint. Be sure that what you’re paying for provides the performance you need.
