Sunday, January 13, 2013

Are you Concerned With Android Security

By Liz Underwood


From hacks to trojans, mobile phone security is starting to turn into a difficulty that suppliers are battling to contain. Because the steady rise in folks purchasing smartphones continues, so does the total number of criminal teams and lonely computer hacks looking for a way to compromise or acquire critical info from your phone.

Viruses can not only turn off many capabilities on your smartphone but may in addition open up a backdoor enabling different types of snoopware (programs which search for private data to deliver back to the hacker) to be set up and jeopardize your cellphone.

In this respect, Google has taken many precautionary security measures while creating the Android OS and provided the capability to push enhancements and patches to Android devices without the consumer being forced to request it. This functionality became a lifesaver for many Android consumers when in March '11, Google released a security update that blocked rogue programs from interacting with private information, effectively adding a kill switch for these bad applications.

The malicious software responsible for the problem was called the DroidDream Trojan which was discovered to be embedded in well over 58 software programs. By simply pushing out the remotely triggered upgrade, Google could conduct virtual surgery on Android phones around the globe. This is just one of the many ways in which your Android device is safeguarded.

Additionally you can make your Android smartphone safer using a few simple strategies.

Firstly you'll want to lock the phone's password ,this helps prevent low level malicious software from getting installed. To achieve this open the Settings - Location & Security Settings - Select the password of your liking. Now, configure a low Timeout option with Settings - Display - Set a value (preferably less than a minute).

Another security measure is to apply the authorization mechanism that enforces boundaries on what processes an app can perform. It additionally defines what files it is able to access. This locks down your phone so even if a malicious software package makes its way in to your smartphone it's limited to what it is able to carry out. Without configuring permissions there is a possibility that malware applications can quietly obtain all the information from the smartphone.

Lastly, there are a variety of 3rd party security apps available such as Norton's Mobile Security software which is able to carry out numerous beneficial functions such as stopping unauthorized apps from being setup in the first place. Furthermore it can remotely lock down the device if the SIM card has been taken out. This is extremely helpful if the smartphone gets swiped!




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