ALL Android phone owners need to follow four cyber tips to stay safe online.
That’s the advice from cyber-experts who say it’s easy to be hacked if you make simple mistakes.
Hacking techniques are more sophisticated than ever before.
The consequences of a hack can be more damaging now too, with photos, messages and finances stored online.
It’s easy to think that using a sensible Android phone setting or two can keep you safe, but it’s not enough.
That’s the advice from cyber-expert Roger Grimes, who warns users to be much more tech savvy.
“Anyone thinking a setting is going to stop someone from being exploited by hackers or malware doesn’t really understand how hackers hack,” Roger, of KnowBe4, told The US Sun.
“99% of hacking is done by social engineering and unpatched software, none of which can be prevented by any setting.
“It’s literally a false, feel-good idea; enabling any setting on your cell phone will do little to anything to stop attackers.
“The best way to stop hackers and malware can’t be stopped by a ‘setting’.”
Roger gave us four tips that Android users should follow to stay safe.
Android security tip #1
Firstly, it’s important to be more aware of social engineering tricks.
These are ploys by hackers to take advantage of you using social tricks.
That means reading up on the latest hack attacks, and being on high alert when you receive unsolicited texts or emails.
It’s important to never give your private info to anyone without verifying who they are first.
Remember: friends or family may have been hacked themselves, so call the person asking you to transfer money via WhatsApp to double-check it’s legitimate.
Android security tip #2
The second tip is to always make sure that your software is updated.
Google regularly fixes security flaws using software updates.
So ensure that your Android version is always up-to-date – as well as any apps you’re using too.
Android security tip #3
Thirdly, make sure that you’re using multi-factor authentication for logging in.
That usually means signing up to receive SMS codes when you attempt to log in to a service.
But you can also use authenticator apps (or even physical authenticators) for greater security.
It means there’s an extra layer of protection beyond your password.
Importantly, never share these two-factor codes with anyone else.
It’s a common trick to receive a text from someone who claims they accidentally sent you their code – and need you to relay it to them.
This is a dangerous scam that you should always ignore.
Android security tip #4
Finally, make sure that you use complex passwords that are unique to each app or service.
Complicated passwords are much harder to guess.
And by not re-using passwords, you avoid having multiple accounts hacked if one login is compromised or leaked.
To help with this, you can use Google’s built-in password manager so you don’t have to remember all of your login details.
“There are no other defences, besides these four, that would have the most impact on decreasing cybersecurity risk,” Roger explained.
“It is the world’s lack of focus on these four defences that make hackers and malware so successful for so long.”
If you think you’ve been hacked, make sure you change your passwords as soon as possible – and log out all other sessions on the app if you can.
