Mobile Security Is Critical for Safe Browsing

Mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our lives. By the time we’re teenagers, we’re already tethered to technology that lives in our pockets and connects us to a network far larger than we ever imagined possible. Because of the way we interact with our phones, the devices know our likes, curiosities and vulnerabilities–in addition to our passwords, financial data and most closely held secrets. This seemingly infinite amount of data also makes our mobile devices highly attractive targets for malicious actors. That’s why it’s critical to protect phones from threats with effective mobile security.

A successful attack on your phone could compromise your personally identifiable information (PII), banking accounts, and even your professional life or the success of your business. Just like you lock the doors of your house when you go away, or your storefront after business hours, you should take care to secure the entry points that cybercriminals use to gain access to the data on your phone.

WiFi and Mobile App Threats

The convenience and ubiquity of public WiFi and mobile apps are also their greatest weaknesses. With unsecured public WiFi, you can never be sure if you’re connecting directly to a secure hotspot or to a hacker who is stealing your information and relaying it to another malicious actor. Before you connect to an unfamiliar public WiFi network, follow these mobile security best practices to reduce the chances of compromising yourself:

With more than 120 million Android users, Android malware continues to be a real and increasingly common threat. Google has already pulled a large number of malicious apps from the Play store. But the open nature of the Android operating system makes it an easy play for hackers. The year 2020 has been a particularly risky one for mobile app users. A few of the more dangerous mobile security threats in circulation include:

Many of these malicious operators use various tricks to evade detection. Since Android devices can come with hundreds of apps pre-installed, there’s a high potential for security gaps that a malicious app maker could exploit.

No. 1 Defense Measure: Update the OS

One of the major vulnerabilities with Android devices is outdated software. More than 40% of Android devices are using an OS version older than Version 9. This makes them more vulnerable to malicious applications.

Webroot Mobile Security can help improve your mobile defenses without impacting your browser speed. It allows you to browse, shop, search, bank or use social networks, all while blocking malicious websites that try to steal your personal information. Webroot Mobile Security includes proactive identity protection features that block malicious sites that try to steal your personal info or harm your device. With Webroot Mobile Security, you can hide your digital footprint and your browsing history through private browsing mode.

Steven Jurczak is a Product Copywriter at Carbonite and Webroot. He blogs about backup and recovery technology, information security and IT industry trends.

This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.