Besides the danger of phone malfunction and failure due to bugs, attackers can also get access to the data on your phone, including your contacts, email, photos, and even your whereabouts. But all is not lost. Here are some things you can do to keep your phone safe from viruses and your personal information private.

• ALSO READ: A Professional Hacker Tells You How to Protect Your PC

1. Avoid Jailbreaking or otherwise “rooting” your phone, says Tim Armstrong, virus analyst at Kaspersky Labs. Your smartphone becomes a bigger target for malicious agents when you “jail break” or hack into your phone so that you can download apps from other operating systems or switch mobile carriers.

2. Avoid opening email attachments on your phone.  As with desktop malware, mobile attachments can contain malicious programs.

3. Avoid clicking on links in text messages. Text message spam can contain links to malicious websites.

4. When downloading applications be wary of the system resources that the application needs permission to access on your phone. If you are not familiar with the app don’t download it.

5. “Be extra careful of possible phishing sites while using your mobile browser,” says Armstrong.  While browsing the internet, apply all of the same precautions to your phone as you would your desktop. When possible, enter the site address directly in the browser. If you click a link to a new page check the URL to make sure you weren’t redirected to an unknown site.

6. Turn your Bluetooth device off when you are not using it. Anyone with a Bluetooth-enabled phone can easily spy on your phone activity, from calls you make to the text messages you send. Also, do not accept Bluetooth messages from strange phone numbers.

7. Lock your phone, and enable remote wipe.  “The most common problem affecting mobile users is the physical loss of their phone…from leaving it in the back of a cab to having it stolen,” says Armstrong.  Wiping it will keep thieves from accessing any personal information on the phone. Also, make sure you back up the data on your phone.

8. Upload antivirus software. Many smartphones come with some form of antivirus protection, but it doesn’t hurt to get more. Companies like Kaspersky Labs, McAfee, and Lookout Mobile Security will provide you with extra protection along with other critical services.

For more information on cyber security read:

Five Steps to Better IT Security

Who’s in Your Wallet?

Tech Insider: Cloud Storage Keeps Your Data Safe and You Sane



“Security is a cost of doing business, and not an item on a checklist that can be added or removed as needed,” says Kelleher. Consider the fact that the economic downturn has created a “fear factor” that can lead cyber-criminals to hit even harder, with threats coming from both domestic sources and from overseas.

In its Annual Threat Report & 2009 Forecast, for example, Cupertino, California-based Trend Micro, says security researchers are seeing virus wars, worm wars, and botnet wars due to increasing competition for financial gains from phishing and fraud. “Look for growing competition between Eastern Europe and China,” the company reports, “to determine which country’s crooks will be the first to include the latest exploits in their exploit kits.”

While the need for ongoing IT security is clear, it can leave the small business owner scratching his or her head over how to justify the investment in a security tool when the entire company is in cost-cutting mode. The good news, according to Kelleher, is that taking proactive steps to protect your data, and that of your customers and business partners, doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can help boost profitability for firms that are proactive about their IT security. Here are six ways to make sure your company falls into that category:

Determine Vulnerability
Conduct an extensive audit of all security measures in place (that includes all hardware, software and other devices, such as flash drives), and the privileges and file permissions given to all employees. “Event logs are an important, but often neglected, source of security information,” says Kelleher, who advises firms to frequently test the security of the storage environment by checking the network logs, security controls (such as firewalls), user IDs and access logs, to see if anything was discovered and highlighted as a possible security breach.

Monitor Activity
“Monitor user’s activity [all the time],” says Kelleher. For a single administrator, monitoring event logs and carrying out regular audits is a massive undertaking. A more realistic approach is to check the logs within the storage environment, rather than the entire network. “Logs have proven to be a source of great value if a security breach occurs and an investigation ensues,” says Kelleher. “This step allows you to better understand your firm’s use of resources, and helps you manage it more effectively.”

Control Access
This one is pretty straightforward. “Access to data should be given only to those who need it,” says Kelleher, “even if the person trying to get to it happens to be your cousin or the boss’s son.”

Safeguard Information
The use of uncontrolled portable storage devices, such as flash drives and DVDs, puts considerable volumes of data at risk and should not be allowed in an unrestricted environment. “These devices are easy to lose and they can be stolen quite easily if left lying around,” says Kelleher. “In many cases, the data that is on portable storage devices is often not protected using encryption.”

Develop IT Policies
Kelleher advises all companies to implement stringent security policies with regard to how data is accessed, handled and transferred, knowing that technology alone will not protect a company’s data. “Strong and enforceable policies, along with employee and management’s awareness of possible breaches, will go a long way towards improving the level of security within an organization,” he says.

Employee Education
Last but certainly not least, workers shouldn’t leave their passwords written on sticky notes and pasted onto their monitors, nor should they divulge information to third parties without authenticating the request first. “The people using and creating the data are the greatest threat and weakest security link,” says Kelleher. “Security is more than just protecting data or placing it under lock and key – it’s also an exercise in managing people.”

Web Resources:

7 Steps to Online Security

Small Business Computer Security Checklist