Tag Archive for: Smartphone Privacy

iPhone Security Crash Course: 13 Hacker-proofing Tips

 

iPhone Security In the Mid/Post-Pandemic World

We are no longer just addicted to our iPhones; we are officially in a committed relationship, thanks to the pandemic. We mobile office from them, bank from them, attend doctor’s appointments, kids’ classes and Zoom happy hours from them. And in the midst of all of this critical and effective use, we are dropping our guard when it comes to iPhone security. 

But there is good news! Changing your default privacy and security settings keeps you from being shark bait (because hackers usually go for the easy kill). Even for iPhone users, who often mistakenly believe that all security is taken care of by Apple. Spoiler – it’s not. Smartphone security takes mindful tweaks on your part – even if Apple does a good job of rooting out malicious apps. Here is a short description of what steps I would take first to to defend your phone (other than never losing it). 

Too much reading? Check out the webinar – in less than an hour I’ll walk you through HOW to do it all for less $ than an Apple dongle!


smartphone privacy

iphone Security Webinar: Wednesday, June 24 @ 1pm ET

Cost: $29

Register: Sileo.com/webinar

Course Description: iPhone Security – See Below (Note: Android OS will not be covered)

 


The Lucky 13 –  iPhone Security & Privacy Tweaks   

  1. Prune Your Apps. You have far more apps on your phone than you use regularly. Outdated and extraneous apps are a backdoor into your privacy. Delete those you don’t use often (Apple can help automate this) and reinstall when needed. Before you install a new app, find trusted reviews online to determine the company’s privacy and security record.
  2. Auto-Update Your iOS. Turn on automatic updates for your iOS operating system so that security patches are installed immediately upon release. This protects you from something called zero-day exploits, which I will explain as I demo how to turn this on during the webinar). Safari is part of the operating system, and just as vulnerable to hacking  as on your computer, making these updates even more critical.
  3. Hide Your Location. Your flashlight app (not  the Apple one) may be spying on you.Third-party apps often request access to iPhone features and data they don’t really need, like your location, camera, contacts, and microphone. Turn off location sharing on most apps, and set it to “Only While Using App” on most of the rest. Bring your app-specific location questions to the webinar.
  4. Hide Your Contacts, Photos & Conversations. Many apps have access to your contacts, calendar, photos, Bluetooth, microphone, camera and health data. Customize these settings to only allow access to apps that you trust or that have to have access to work.
  5. Robustify Your iPhone Passcode. Four digits is not enough! Six-digit numeric codes are still vulnerable to cybercriminals. Even if you conveniently unlock your iPhone with a thumbprint or facial recognition, the passcode behind the biometric is what gives it all of its strength! Lengthening codes is a bit confusing, so I will save it for the online demonstration.
  6. Password Manage Your Online Accounts. Mobile password aggregators help you create unique, long and strong passwords for all of your online accounts. The iPhone integrates with many common password managers to make logging in to critical sites faster and safer than the old fashioned way. Happy to make “endorsement-free” product recommendations if you need them.
  7. Double Your Passcodes. When you turn on two-step logins (aka, two-factor authentication), a hacker’s ability to break into your online accounts plummets. Having a passcode you know (the one you memorize to get into your phone) and a passcode you have (from a passcode authenticator app or text message), makes you exponentially safer. Enable this on every cloud service you use, from email to banking, health sites and business logins to social media. And make sure you turn it on for iCloud, which stores a backup of everything on your phone.
  8. Backup Your Phone. Whether you back up to a physical computer or to iCloud, this is the best way to recover from ransomware or a lost, stolen or hacker-scrambled phone.
  9. Stop Brute Force Logins. If you’re worried about your device falling into the wrong hands, you can prevent an attacker from brute-force break-ins using the “erase data” option. This automatically deletes all data on your phone after 10 consecutive failed login attempts. Just don’t ever forget your code, and be careful that your kids don’t erase your data by entering the wrong code too many times!
  10. Shut Down Eavesdropping Advertisers. Many websites use cross-site tracking to monitor your surfing habits so that marketing companies and advertisers can push products and services tailored to your interests. This can be turned off in Safari for iOS. It is also possible to block pop-ups, enable fake website warnings, disable location-based and interest-based ads and switch from Google’s search engine to a more private source like DuckDuckGo.
  11. Enable Location Tracking and Wiping
  12. Secure Your Free Wi-Fi Hotspots (VPN)
  13. Disable Creepy Photograph Tracking

If you are looking for a bit of hand/phone holding, join my webinar, where I will walk you through HOW to implement all 13 iPhone Security Steps.


Webinar: iPhone Security Crash Course: 13 Ways to Keep Hackers & Advertisers Out

Every website you visit, location you frequent and app you use on your iPhone can be tracked, hacked and abused. By default, your smartphone is open to cellular providers, digital advertisers and cybercriminals. Until, of course, you proactively take steps to minimize how your private data is being captured, shared and sold. 

In this iPhone-specific workshop, John will perform a live demonstration of 13 critical iphone security and privacy settings. Bring your iPhone to the webinar, as you will be actively changing settings during the presentation. 

Smartphone Privacy & iPhone Security Tools Covered Will Include:

  1. App pruning and vetting
  2. Operating system patches and automatic updates
  3. Limiting location tracking performed by Apps
  4. Keeping hackers out of contacts, photos and voice recordings
  5. Hack-proof passwords (almost)
  6. Implementing a password manager
  7. Turning on two-step logins on vital online accounts
  8. How to back up your phone in case of loss or ransomware
  9. Eliminating brute-force logins
  10. Disabling advertising tracking and sharing
  11. Enabling location tracking and wiping in case of loss
  12. Installing and utilizing a VPN to protect Wi-Fi usage
  13. How to disable creepy photo location tracking
    If time permits:
  14. Evaluating of the Pros/Cons of biometric passwords (fingerprints and facial recognition)
  15. A discussion on the security of Apple Pay and Wallet options
  16. Banking and investing vulnerabilities on you smartphone

By the end of this webinar, your iPhone will be 99% more secure than the average smartphone user. Time for Q&A with John will be provided at the end of the demonstration.

Whose Device – Yours, Mine or Ours?

Carrying multiple personal devices is a pain and, yet, the fear of giving away critical company data is a nightmare.

For most of us, being connected equals being productive. However, this simple equation becomes complex when one has to juggle personal devices with those issued by our employers. Paramount in an employer’s mind is the protection of the company’s critical and confidential business data but they don’t want to alienate employees by being too restrictive on using their personal smartphones and tablets.

Recent research has found that nearly three out of four adults don’t protect their smartphones with security software and these same people often use their devices to access social media and websites that attract cybercrooks. Poorly-secured  devices can be easily accessed by hackers who are becoming evermore sophisticated and ferocious.

This device conundrum ties directly to corporate IT culture and the question of allowing employees to use personal devices to conduct business. The solution ranges anywhere from an outright ban (which employees often ignore) to fully embracing an employee’s choice, while building corporate safeguards to block spam and corrupt application downloading. Some companies permit it with tight controls such as having the ability to wipe the gadgets clean of all information in the case of loss. Of course that means all personal data will be wiped along with business data but studies show employee satisfaction (ergo productivity) is tied to exercising personal preference of devices.

Security and legal teams wrestle with this dilemma constantly in the mobil world of today and there’s no clear cut answer. Protecting a company and its clients’ data is essential; but also, productivity, efficiency, organization and responsiveness are but a few benefits of giving employees their choice of gadget.

Arming those same employees with the safety measures to secure their devices from fraudulent activities is where IT departments can manage risk. Building a parallel strategy that serves both corporate IT and the end-user is not only necessary, it is beneficial to the bottom-line.

John Sileo is an award-winning author and international speaker on the dark art of deception (identity theft, data privacy, social media manipulation) and its polar opposite, the powerful use of trust, to achieve success. He is CEO of The Sileo Group, which advises teams on how to multiply performance by building a culture of deep trust. His clients include the Department of Defense, Pfizer, the FDIC, and Homeland Security. Sample his Keynote Presentation or watch him on Anderson Cooper60 Minutes or Fox Business1.800.258.8076.