Hey you. Yeah, you. The one with the Smartphone. I’ve got news for you. Your data’s not as safe as you’d like to think it is.

Believe it or not, as mobile becomes more and more important to society, the ne’erdowells and net crooks are turning their attention to Smartphones and Tablets. Plenty of malware exists out there that’s designed to hijack private data, monitor phone calls and text messages, or gather financial information.

And it’s not just isolated to the PC anymore.

Mac users were treated to a nasty surprise with the MacDefender incident. I can pretty much guarantee the majority of them didn’t expect any sort of wide-spread, malicious code to find its way onto their systems. After all, viruses were a PC thing. Macs were secure. No viruses existed for Apple’s lovely little computer. Not surprisingly, they were wrong.

The mobile community might well be in for a similar equally nasty surprise if they aren’t careful. The situation’s not even remotely dire yet…but it has the potential to be.  Why do you think so many in Enterprise are so concerned about the “Bring your Own Device” craze? People simply aren’t as diligent as they should be when protecting mobile data.

Thankfully, caution’s pretty easy to come by. There are a few things that every user should do, particularly those of you on Android. They are, in no particular order:

1. Practice Application Safety

A little while back, I posted the Chrome Addon Safety Guide. As I said then, the principles in the guide apply to pretty much any browser where you can download addons. By extension, that also applies to smartphones as well. Don’t be stupid. Think about what you download and where you’re getting it from or your phone might well end up with some uninvited guests.

2. Practice Safe Browsing

Again, common sense. Apply the same sort of safe browsing practices to your smartphone as you would to your PC. Don’t visit any suspicious websites. Pay attention to where your browser’s taking you. Avoid any shady websites that promise you free stuff or give offers that seem too good to be true. Pay attention to the address bar and look carefully at any links you’re clicking before you click them.

3. Install an Antivirus App

Yes, mobile antivirus applications do exist and you should install one. Some of the best known AV companies actually have applications, including AVG, Kaspersky, and Avast. Take your pick, and choose one that you think can be trusted. Once you’ve installed it, don’t let it just sit on your device – run regular scans.

That’s pretty much all there is to it. Essentially, you’ve gotta treat your mobile devices the same way you treat your PC. After all, the line between the two is getting thinner with each passing day.

Image Credits: Worsttech

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