Smartphones have become an important part of our daily life. We use it for shopping, ordering food, ordering taxis and movie tickets, making payments, and more. For this reason, smartphones store a lot of confidential information, such as passwords and credit card details, which we must protect. But even so, we usually don’t pay much attention to the overall safety and security of the data stored on our smartphones. But you don’t need to worry, here are some ways that can be used to protect your Android smartphone from hacker attacks.
1. Use a PIN or Password on the lock screen
Always use a PIN or password to protect your smartphone. Adding this security feature is enough to protect your phone. But if you have trouble remembering the password, you can use a pattern lock or pattern.
2. Lock individual apps
Just using a password is not always enough. You should lock individual apps (especially apps that store important numbers, like credit card numbers) with a password as well.
There are many ways to keep your data confidential. For example, certain smartphones already provide a built-in app lock function. Some apps like Paytm also have a built-in locking feature.
There are many third-party security apps available on the Google Play Store that you can use to lock individual apps.
3. Download applications from trusted sources
Only download apps from trusted sources like the Google Play Store. Also, don’t forget to check the ratings and reviews about an app before hitting the download button. Checking the privacy policies of the apps you download is a must too.
4. Read the permission statement before downloading an app
This is an important step to remember. When downloading an app from the Google Play Store, make sure you read the full information about all the data it will have access to once downloaded. For example, if a payment app has access to the phone’s camera, that’s not true.
5. Download Android Device Manager
Android Device Manager is one of the most useful applications released by Google. If you’ve ever lost an Android smartphone, Android Device Manager can help find it.
This app can be very useful in tracking and getting back a lost or stolen Android device. It can even be used for remote factory reset devices, as long as the function is properly configured beforehand.
6. Google Authenticator is a must have a security tool
Use Google Authenticator to add an extra layer of security to your account. This is a Google app to enable two-factor authentication.
This app makes it easy to get a time-bound authentication code to log into the account you have authenticated with, once two-factor is enabled. Google Authenticator works offline, and even for some non-Google services.
7. Download an antivirus application
Without a doubt, using an antivirus is an important step to take in securing your smartphone, given the type of important information from the device you have. So don’t forget to install an antivirus application.
8. Avoid using Wi-Fi in public places
Always avoid using public Wi-Fi networks as much as possible. You can never be sure if that public Wi-Fi is 100% secure. Also, make sure your phone doesn’t automatically connect to a Wi-Fi network. Always turn off your Wi-Fi when not needed.
9. Configure settings
Using manual settings is better because if it is automatic, the smartphone can be more vulnerable to attacks from hackers. Just like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth should also be kept turned off when not in use.
10. Avoid rooting
Rooting does give you flexibility, but it’s better never to root your smartphone. Rooting can make your smartphone vulnerable to malware and other attacks from cell phone viruses.