Your smartphone is your confidante, your hand-
held connection to the world — and one of your
biggest vulnerabilities.
Scammers can take advantage of day-to-day
tasks that seem innocuous, like checking a
bank balance or charging a phone at a public
USB port, to exploit personal information for
their profit.
To keep that data safe, start by understanding
the threats you face. Your phone has three main
areas of vulnerability: its hardware, its software
and your phone number. Each carries a risk, and
there are steps you can take to mitigate them.
HARDWARE VULNERABILITY
A four-digit passcode alone isn’t enough to
secure your phone’s hardware from intruders.
One weakness comes from the charging port.
Think twice before plugging into a public USB
jack for a quick charge at a cafe or airport.