[:en]
Smartphones frequently act as the control centres where we schedule meetings, send e-mails and socialise. To satisfy these needs, they require personal information.
Our lives are documented and stored in e-mails, social networks and the apps we install on our phones. All this information syncs seamlessly with your work PC or your tablet. And after initial set up, it might not even prompt you for a password again. Wonderful news if you are terrible at remembering passwords. Also, wonderful news if you are the thief who steals a smartphone.
What information would a clever criminal get his hands on if you lose your smartphone now? Banking information? A copy of your ID or passport saved somewhere in your e-mail? All your holiday photos on Dropbox?
Here are a few tips to ensure he won’t be able to get to it:
- Always enable the password option on your phone to lock your screen. Most phones have various options – typing in a password, a pin code or even swiping a sequence of dots. This is your first line of defence.
- Don’t select “remember password” on any of your apps or your e-mail applications. Yes, it is a nuisance to type in your password, but do you really want someone else to read your e-mails?
- Turn off cookies and autofill. This prevents your device from remembering your username and possibly even your password at websites you regularly visit.
- If you need to access sensitive information, e.g. banking, rather go to the website, via a web browser, than using an app.
- Set up your phone to be tracked if you do lose it. (Read our previous instructions on locating lost or stolen devices here.) A device can also be wiped remotely in some cases, which at least ensures that your information doesn’t end up being used, even though your actual device is.
Remember that you also need to remove ALL personal data (for example e-mails, SMS’s and telephone numbers) and anything which could connect you to the phone when you sell or dispose of it.
[:af]
Slimfone is dikwels die beheersentrum waar vergaderings geskeduleer, e-posse gestuur en sosiale aktiwiteite beplan word. Om dié funksie te vervul, vereis dit ons persoonlike inligting.
Ons doen en late word dokumenteer en gebêre in e-posse, sosiale netwerke en toepassings. Al hierdie informasie word vervolgens ook soomloos integreer met jou werkrekenaar en tablet. Na die eerste opstelling, is dit, in sommige gevalle, nie eers nodig om `n wagwoord in te tik nie. Wonderlike nuus as jy hopeloos is met wagwoorde onthou. Ook wonderlike nuus as jy `n opportunistiese skelm is wat slimfone steel.
Watter inligting sal `n slim misdadiger tot sy beskikking hê as hy vandag jou slimfoon in die hande kry? Bankinligting? `n Kopie van jou ID of paspoort wat erens gestoor is op e-pos? Al jou vakansiefotos op Dropbox?
Hier is `n paar wenke om seker te maak hy kry dit nie in die hande nie:
- Aktiveer altyd die wagwoord opsie om jou foon te skerm te sluit. Die meeste fone het verskeie opsies, byvoorbeeld om `n wagwoord in te tik, `n PIN-kode of selfs om in `n spesifieke volgorde `n patroon te vee. Hierdie is jou eerste en belangrikste afskrikmiddel.
- Moenie remember password op jou e-pos of ander toepassings kies nie. Ja, dit is irriterend om elke keer `n wagwoord in te tik, maar wil jy regtig hê iemand anders moet jou e-pos lees?
- Skakel cookies en autofill af. Dit keer dat jou toestel jou gebruikersnaam en wagwoord onthou en invul op webwerwe wat jy gereeld besoek.
- As jy toegang tot sensitiewe inligting moet kry, byvoorbeeld bankinligting, gaan eerder na die webwerf d.m.v. `n webblaaier in plaas van die installeerde toepassing.
- Stel jou foon op dat dit opgespoor kan word as jy dit verloor. (Lees ons vorige artikel oor die opsporing van verlore of gesteelde toestelle hier.) `n Toestel kan ook vanaf `n afstand skoongevee word om seker te maak jou inligting word nie misbruik nie, selfs al is jou toestel in die verkeerde hande.
Onthou dat jy ook, wanneer jy jou selfoon verkoop of daarvan ontslae raak, seker moet maak dat AL jou data daarvan verwyder is (bv. e-posse, foonnommers, SMSe, ens.) of enige inligting wat jou kan verbind tot die foon.
