With the huge boom in smartphone popularity over the last couple of years, iPhone security is starting to become a hot topic. People do not take the same precautions to protect their smartphone as they do for their home computers. In fact the vast majority of smartphones are completely unprotected from attack which is the equivalent of a hackers wet dream.
If you haven’t taken iPhone security into consideration before, then read on to learn everything you need to know and how to protect yourself from attack.
Why You Need To Take iPhone Security Seriously
Your iPhone pretty much knows everything about you, have you ever stopped to think just how much personal data is on your iPhone? All of your contacts, email accounts, Facebook details, personal photographs, videos and much more is stored on the device. Although iPhone security is general better than Android, the iPhone is still vulnerable to a range of attacks.
What would happen if your iPhone was lost or stolen and all of this information was available to someone with malicious intentions? What about if a hacker had remote access to all of the data on your iPhone through a virus?
Unfortunately iPhone security is an afterthought for most people who find themselves helpless if they are targeted.
A Recent iPhone Security Threat Example
There have been a number of critical iPhone security threats since the iPhone was first launched. It was possible to bypass the pass lock by choosing to make an emergency call and entering ### on the keypad.
One of the more recent examples though was much more serious. Previous security issues were only a threat if you had lost your iPhone or if it was stolen but this changed in 2011.
A critical flaw was found in the way iOS deals with fonts from PDF files. This vulnerability would allow a remote hacker to gain root access to the iPhone and pretty much do what they wanted.
This would allow hackers to install malware/viruses as well as have full access to personal information such as emails, text messages, contacts, passwords and online banking data. It was also feasible for hacks to be able to view the iPhone’s cameras, access GPS data and listen in on phone calls.
How To Protect Yourself
When the PDF security issue was first discovered, there was no such thing as iPhone antivirus or anyway to defend the attack. Since then things have changed and it’s now much easier to improve iPhone security and protect yourself from attack. Here are my top tips to secure your iPhone.
Enable Auto Lock
The auto lock screen feature of the iPhone is one of the most basic security options you should have enabled. This will lock the screen after a pre-defined period and should be used in conjunction with the passcode lock feature.
To enable this go to iPhone Settings > General Tab > Auto-Lock and choose an auto lock time period to suit you.
Enable Passcode Lock
The passcode lock feature is also very easy to enable. You can setup a predefined passcode so whenever the iPhone’s screen is locked you will need to enter a password to unlock it again. This is a great way to keep people locked out of your iPhone if it’s lost or stolen.
Enabling it is easy, just go to iPhone Settings > General Tab > Passcode Lock and then follow the onscreen instructions to setup your passcode.
Avoid Using Public Wi-Fi
When your out and about try to avoid connecting to free Wi-Fi hotspots. Connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspots will give you fast internet access via your iPhone, but it also gives malicious users full access to your phone.
It is possible for someone to see exactly which websites you have accessed, and steal all of your login details. This includes and is not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Email Accounts, PayPal and online banking.
So make sure you stick to either your own home Wi-Fi or a reliable Wi-Fi provider like BT Openzone. Avoid connecting to random Wi-Fi hotspots you find while on your travels if possible. If you do have to connect to one, try and avoid logging into any sites.
Browse The Web With Safari
The iPhone Safari web browser comes with its own set of security settings which are worth checking out. One of the first things you should do is make sure popups are blocked. To double check if that option is enabled go to iPhone Settings > Safari > Block Popups.
It is also a good idea to clear your cookies on a regular basis. Cookies often hold information about account authentication and browsing history etc so you should be clearing them out every now and then. To clear them go to iPhone Settings > Safari > Clear Cookies.
Limit Personal Data
Although the iPhone is the ultimate in convenience, don’t just sign your entire life over the device. Be careful what types of data you store on the device, for example you should not be storing your bank account details, website logins, credit/debit card details or pin numbers directly on the iPhone.
#1 Tip – Install An iPhone Security App
For years there was no such thing as iPhone Security apps, but as this has become a bigger issue we are starting to see the first wave of iPhone security apps hit the Appstore.
Intego recently released the first malware scanner for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch called VirusBarrier iOS. This neat little iPhone security app can carry out on demand scanning of a range of things including-
- Scans all local files for malware and viruses
- Also pickups any malware for Windows, Mac and Linux
- Scans compressed zip files
- Repairs files that have been infected
- Scans email attachments and web downloads
- Can scan remote locations such as DropBox
- Scan websites for possible threats and malware
- Automatic update
- All scans are done in the background
You can download the Virusbarrier iOS iPhone security app here and I would personally recommend you do so immediately.
And Thats That!
Hopefully you now fully understand why iPhone security is a growing issue, why you should take it seriously and more importantly how to protect yourself from attacks. At the very least you should be installing an iPhone security app as well as following the tips above. If you have any other questions or concerns about iPhone security then please get in touch with me and I’ll do my best to help you out.