We all love our smartphones, don’t we? They are more than helpful devices, they are like an extension of our arms nowadays. That’s why we store all our sensitive information on our phones. From important dates, credit card details, photos, and even medical history — they’re all on a tiny phone that we carry around. And this information is invaluable. That’s why most cyber criminals target smartphones through viruses.
If you’ve thought your iPhone could never get a virus, because, well, it’s an Apple device — well, think again. There are a few ways in which your iPhone can get attacked by viruses, and all of them are avoidable if you’re watchful enough.
Untrusted sites.
It’s simple, if you don’t know the site well enough, then it probably isn’t safe for you to download anything from that site. We’ve all received emails or text messages with a link to download an app. You wouldn’t even have heard of that app before, and when you click on the link, it would take you to a website you don’t recognize. These are malware apps that target the software in your phones. They infect your device, stealing your data without your knowledge.
Free WiFi.
Nowadays, whatever coffee shop we go to, the first thing we look for is free WiFi. No one likes paying for mobile data that’s steadily on the rise. But the problem with connecting to external WiFi hotspots is that your connection should be secure. Unless it’s a trusted connection, don’t connect your device. Chances are, most of these unknown connections would inject your phone with viruses that could wipe out all your information.
When it comes to protecting yourself from fraud, the first step is to protect your phone. But as long as you’re careful and following a simple rule, you’ll be fine; don’t click on unsolicited links or download anything from unknown sources.
