Relying on smartphones for work is more or less a given these days, but it does come with risks. Without proper safeguards, your professional data could be in jeopardy (along with any personal info). We’ve all heard horror stories; roughly 44% of mobile phone users encounter some sort of scam or threat daily, according to a Malwarebytes survey. On a weekly basis, that percentage shoots up to 78%.
“Cell phones are people’s lives,” says Ido Salama, the owner and CEO of TeamLogic IT of the Rivertowns, a Westchester-based IT firm. That dependence leaves the door open for hackers, and there are many more access points for bad actors to steal data.
Tech pro Salama offers these tips to lower the chances of being hacked:
Don’t Overshare
Posting information on social media that anyone can see gives crooks easy means to exploit you. A good rule of thumb? “If you wouldn’t put something on a billboard, don’t put it on social media,” Salama says. Make sure your settings lock out the public and limit posts to friends only.
Never Trust Links Sent to You
If you receive a link through a text message or email, don’t use it; instead, navigate to the site on your own by typing in the address. “Hackers are really good at spoofing websites,” Salama says. They can easily set up a phishing site to look startlingly like a bank. If you have a legit message from a financial institution, you will find it in your account by going there directly.
Be Skeptical of Senders
Focus first on what a message is asking you to do, not who it’s from. Is the sender asking you to take urgent, quick action? Playing on your sense of fear or vulnerability? Those could be signs that a criminal is using human nature against you. So, take a beat, think about what a message is asking of you, and then decide if you want to take action—or not.
Always Opt for Multi-Factor Authentication
MFA is a security method that requires two or more verification factors to access an account or application, boosting protection against unauthorized access. In other words, with MFA, stealing your password isn’t enough; the second factor may be a code sent to your email or phone device or a biometric scan. Salama strongly advises enabling it.
Related: Skill Tree Prepares Young People in Westchester for the Workforce
