Other tips to protect yourself
IT infrastructure manager at MC Systems, Collin Burgess, said the four most common threats affecting consumers are application-based, web-based, network-based and physical.
“Application-based threats happen when people download apps that look legit, but [which] skim data from their device. Examples are spyware and malware that steal personal and business information without people realising what’s going on,” he explained.
Burgess said webbased threats are subtle and tend to go unnoticed. This happens when people visit affected websites that seem fine on the front end, but in reality, automatically download malicious content on to your device.
He said network-based threats are especially bad, because cybercriminals can steal unencrypted data while people use public Wi-Fi networks.
“Physical threats happen when someone loses their mobile device or has it stolen. Because hackers have direct access to the hardware where private data is stored, or where they have access to data, this threat is especially dangerous to enterprises,” he explained.
Burgess said securing a consumer device goes beyond a simple virus protection software and has more to do with consumers improving their mobile security practices.
He recommends:
• Check the permissions apps request before approving the download.
• Review the source of the software.
• Install an antivirus.
• Look out for emails with bad grammar. These can include misspelt words.
• Check changes to domain names.
• Educate yourself. Send feedback on this article to solutions@mcsystems.com.