Cybersecurity in your pocket: 10 tips to protect your mobile devices

Mobile devices have become an extension of our lives, accompanying us in most of our day-to-day tasks, and harboring a large amount of personal and sensitive information. However, not everything is rosy since we are exposed to different cybersecurity risks. In fact, cyberattacks on these devices increased by 52% in 2023 compared to 2022, which indicates that this percentage could increase even further.

In this article we expose the main threats that can occur and how to protect our mobile devices.

• Keep your phone constantly updated: Software updates usually include security patches that fix vulnerabilities. Many of us, when we see that an update is available, ignore it and prolong the task as long as possible, even until we see that the phone starts to go relatively wrong. You can enable automatic updates to avoid these situations.

• Download apps from trusted sources: Use official stores such as the App Store or Play Store. Even so, it does not mean that the apps you can download are completely trustworthy. Make sure you are well informed, read the comments of other users and do not grant too many permissions in case of suspicion. We also recommend that you download only the necessary applications.

• Configure the security of your device: Nowadays you can not miss a password or pattern to access your mobile device. In addition, we can also further protect ourselves by setting passwords to applications that house important information.

• Install a mobile antivirus: It is important to have an antivirus that can detect malware or ransomware before it is too late. They are a powerful tool for the cybersecurity of our devices. Here you can find the most recommended antivirus by INCIBE.

• Do not give unnecessary permissions to applications: If you download an app and it asks for access to certain information on your phone that the app may not need to function, be suspicious. Avoid accepting everything and stop to analyze why it requires those permissions. Cybercriminals use applications to access certain confidential information, this can be achieved thanks to us, who accept the requests without reading what it tells us.

• Create backup copies frequently: Our device can come to house a large amount of data, whether important or not, we must ensure that if something happens to our device we can recover that information. For this we recommend backups and the 3-2-1 method, here you can read about it.

• Use a password manager: Creating secure passwords is essential to protect yourself from cyber-attacks, mobile devices are no exception. We recommend using password managers to facilitate the creation of secure passwords and we must also change them constantly. Here you will find INCIBE's recommendation on password managers.

• Uses two-factor authentication (2FA): This method allows us to considerably improve the security of our devices. It verifies user authentication by adding an extra layer of security. The first factor is usually the password and then the authentication is sent by another means such as email or SMS.

• Use VPN connections: This is essential for companies that work with telework, or for summer seasons. The VPN connection provides you with privacy, as it encrypts your data, protects your location and keeps your information secure.

• Turn off wifi and bluetooth when not in use: Cybercriminals can also attack us through the wireless connections of our devices. An example of this is the bluesnarfing technique, which is used to access our data through the bluetooth connection.

In short, every device connected to the network is a potential target for cybercriminals, but it does not have to be an easy target. By taking preventive cybersecurity measures, we can make cybercriminals' work more difficult and minimize the risks and consequences of a potential attack.