5 Ways to Secure your iPhone

iPhone

Would you willingly hand your smartphone over to a stranger, unlocked? If there's one device that encapsulates what we do, where we go, who we are and who we're in touch with, it's our smartphone. From messages and photos to countless metrics about our location and health, there's a lot of data being kept. We reveal what's on our minds (through search engines), what our goals are (through app downloads) and even our hopes and dreams.

Apple's iOS system is secure, however, there are always extra steps you can take to prevent your data from being stolen or used by third parties. If you have concerns about the privacy of your data, text messages and even photos, we have tips to help.

1) Phone Password

With face and fingerprint recognition becoming more popular on smartphones, how truly safe are they, and should you use a password instead? According to Apple, the likelihood of someone being able to use their face to unlock someone else's phone is 1:1,000,000. The odds for Touch ID is 1:50,000, making Face ID 20 times more secure. While both methods are definitely better than no security at all, there are always situations where these could be bypassed.

Facial features aren't always unique, and research has shown that it's possible for strangers to gain access to people's phones using Face ID technology. There are also chances that someone could force you to look at your phone. Touch ID, on the other hand, is also relatively safe but there are numerous reports where people have been able to bypass this. One story involves a 7-year-old who used his Dad's finger to unlock his phone while he was asleep!

So, to be extra safe, use a combination of biometrics and PINS or passcodes to provide an extra layer of security. Ensure your PIN has a mixture of digits and special characters where you can- the longer the better.

2) Enable Two Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two Factor Authentication is a great way of adding another layer of security to your data. There are many ways this can work on iPhones, from using an authenticator app that generates one-time codes when you request log-ins to accounts, to using a fingerprint. Enable 2FA using Touch ID by going onto your iPhone's Settings > Passcode > Touch ID & Passcode. Ensure Touch ID is turned on for iTunes & App Store, Apple Pay and Password AutoFill, to add the extra layer of security.

3) Read Permissions

In our previous blog post here, we discussed the reasons why it's important to clearly read and check the permissions displayed by any Apps or software you download. Apps are a way third parties can gain access to your iPhone, so it's important to be scrupulous when looking into what they are requesting access to. Why would an image editing app need access to your contact list, for example? If you're unsure about how secure an app is, it's a good idea to do some research online as many Apps are tested and listed into how secure they are.

4) Use a VPN

Many outdoor spaces, restaurants and even shops now offer Wi-Fi to the public for free. While this can be very useful, public wi-fi is inherently insecure, so it's always best to be cautious to keep your data and information safe from hackers and criminals. To protect your banking credentials, account passwords and data, we'd recommend using a VPN when out and about. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) will keep your traffic secure in a 'tunnel' between your device and the internet, protected by encryption software to prevent anyone breaking through. Shop online, study and use the internet at your favourite coffee shop or travelling with the help of a VPN- we'd recommend this NordVPN package which can protect up to 6 devices.

5) Keep Updated

There's a reason why your iPhone and apps roll out updates, one of them being for security purposes. It can be all too easy to hit 'remind me later' or ignore those update notifications. By repeatedly ignoring app updates, you're unknowingly opening your device to security threats. Developers roll out updates to ensure their apps are kept as secure as possible, so make sure to update yours so you have the latest (and most secure) version.


iPhone VPN

We hope you've enjoyed our article and perhaps learnt something new! For more of the latest tech tips, news and reviews visit www.box.co.uk/blogs/.

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