Your Smartphone is Being Targeted. How to Reduce Your Risk

The world is a dangerous place. No matter how safe you think you are, there's always someone, or something, lurking, waiting to strike at any given moment. Hollywood has been feeding such fears for a long time, but with smartphones the hope is that help would be on its proverbial way within minutes of a frenzied SOS text message.

But what if that very device you hope will save your butt actually poses just as much risk to your well-being? Then what?And yet, that's exactly the case.

As Robin Wark of Paretologic security software company says, it doesn't matter if we're talking about an iPhone, BlackBerry or an Android contraption. Most users save all kinds of information on them, and you too might be storing photos, confidential information, lists of your contacts and whatnot on them. Even if you avoid the worst scenario (you lost your phone, someone's found it and is now using it), you're still facing some major dangers. If you think hacking into a phone is more difficult than hacking into a computer, think again.

It's a crime on the rise, and the U.S. has seen a sharp increase in smartphone theft within the last six months, and there's no reason to suspect Canada is any different. New York is no longer the crime capital of North America, thanks to former mayor Rudy Giuliani's efforts, but still, reports say that cell phone theft in New York City jumped from eight per cent of robberies 10 years ago to more than 40 per cent this year. A recent study showed that mobile malware rose 155 per cent in 2011.

Now what? Not much. If you insist you must have a smartphone, at least be careful. Click on the image below for our top safety tips in the age of the smartphone:

SLIDESHOW: KEEP SMARTPHONES SAFE WITH THESE TIPS:

If you want to skip the slideshow you can read our tips below.

• First and foremost, install security software.There are quite a few applications designed specifically with smartphones in mind.
• Before you install any application on your smartphone, read the fine print. Various apps can access an incredible variety of data on your smartphone. Serious application stores will tell you which data it is. If you don't like it, don't proceed with installing the application.
• You're using all kinds of precautions when surfing the web from your desktop or laptop. That's the habit you should maintain when surfing from your smartphone. Do NOT click on suspicious links. And if you simply have to conduct business using your smartphone, make sure sites you access to do so display an "https" prefix.
• Speaking of safety and security, use password protection. This protects you even in cases when someone steals your phone. Of course, it works best when you give a serious thought to picking a good password, one that's not so easy to guess.
• There' a slang expression in smartphone industry: jail-breaking. That's a trick that helps users get rid of whatever limitations there are on their phones' operating systems. Yes, you might become able to access all kinds of app stores with impunity. By the same token, cybercriminals find it much easier to hack into a smartphone thus modified. So, just say no.
• Yes, it's a hassle, but do not save IDs and passwords anywhere in our smartphone. Enter them manually. Always. If your phone asks whether it's OK to save your identifying log in information, say NO, and wherever applicable, click that you don't want the software to ask you ever again.
• It's wonderful to be able to use public Wi-Fi. Except, it's one of the spots hackers find incredibly easy to break into. It's fine if all you engage in is idle chatter with all and sundry. As soon as you decide to engage in online shopping or other financial transactions, avoid public Wi-Fi, use a 3G (third generation) wireless network, instead.
• Speaking of which, there's no need to keep Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on. Turn them off and use them only when and as needed. Let those pesky hackers bang their heads against locked doors.
• Even with the best precautions, your smartphone can still go AWOL on you. Two options: you're so absent-minded, your friends call you Professor, and if your smartphone were the only thing you've been losing with alarming regularity, life would be beautiful. The other options: thieves like you. Whatever option, it's good to avail yourself of "erase" and "remote wipe" options.You can erase the contents of your phone if it's lost, stolen or if someone has been trying to log in without success.
• And, by the way, if you are in the habit of looking for your phone (having forgotten it's sitting right against your heart in your shirt pocket), get a phone finder app. It's an unbelievable tool that beats hands down looking for your glasses (having forgotten they're sitting right there, on your nose).

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