As a cybersecurity professional, I have talked to a lot of people in and out of the classroom, as a consultant for the federal government and the private sector but I’m still shocked when I ask, "What kind of antimalware or firewall do you use for your phone?" Three responses are typical: silence; "I don’t use anything"; or something reasonable like Symantec Mobile Security for Android, McAfee, etc. I applaud them for choosing something which shows some awareness although not for their specific choices. But hey, it’s a start.
Let’s face it—people have favorites. I have mine and you probably have yours. It’s human nature. Some people like pizza with pineapple and some people think that’s sacrilege. But you can’t argue with the logic of having something instead of nothing makes sense when it comes to security.
This article isn’t a review of software that you should use but rather a set of best practices that you should strongly consider. These sobering statistics should get your attention:
Enough gloom and doom statistics. Let’s discuss some immediate, cheap, and effective habits that can help you thwart an attack on your mobile devices, specifically Android and iPhone.
Here are some basics. These may sound obvious.
My go-to antimalware solutions approach for my Android are Avira Antivirus with a free VPN. They also offer security for iOS. I also have Malwarebytes and Superantispyware. It’s a tad bit of overkill but when it comes to antimalware, I subscribe to Defense in Depth even though what I use for my laptops is, for example, Avira All-in-One’s software.
The links below will allow you to investigate other mobile antimalware. One for Android and one for iOS.
These sites offer pros and cons and price comparisons. The best way is to try them out for yourself and see what best fits your budget and features.
I don’t remember if someone famous said "Something is better than nothing," but when it comes to protecting your phone, it truly is. Just do your research and use common sense.
Unfortunately, there's not yet a way to make any web technology completely invulnerable to hackers and cybercrime. Cyber attacks continue to evolve every day, resulting in a need to be constantly improving and implementing new cybersecurity measures. This concept can be overwhelming for any cybersecurity team, no matter how big or small. That's why we've created a free ebook to help you design a comprehensive cybersecurity plan.
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