Privacy, Security & Virus Information

iPhone Security

Most of us are used to the concept of protecting our computers and laptops against viruses and employ anti-virus programmes to ensure that our PC’s are secure and virus free. However, many of us forget to protect our iPhone against such security threats and often take it for granted that our handheld mobile is safe and secure. But this is not necessarily the case.

For example, if you are the owner of an iPhone 3G and you use it with Wi-Fi then it is not safe as there is a security hole which means you can’t make the Wi-Fi technology used on this older iPhone secure. This should therefore teach us that we should be as vigilant when using our iPhone and consider its security as much as we consider and protect the security of our PC.

Whether you use your iPhone for playing games, surfing the Internet, downloading apps or accessing your email, here are five essential tips that you should follow to ensure Apple iPhone security.

Tip 1 – Use the auto-lock setting and ensure you enable the passcode lock facility This first tip is that you should use the auto-lock setting on the iPhone. This function locks the touch-screen if it isn’t used for a certain amount of time. This combined with the passcode lock facility that ensures when the phone locks the iPhone requires a four digit passcode to be entered before the phone can be used again means that your iPhone has a secure locking feature should your phone become lost or stolen.

Tip 2 – Consider how you use Wi-Fi when on your iPhone and use it wisely The iPhone allows users to connect to Wi-Fi and this is a useful feature as fast web browsing and data access can occur when connected. However, you need to remember that just like a PC if you don’t consider security of the Wi-Fi network then you are opening your iPhone up to hackers. The best way to combat this is to ensure that when you use your own personal Wi-Fi network that it is secure and that you employ a wireless security protocol, which means you have a password to access the network. When out and about you should ensure that your iPhone is not automatically set to pick up any other Wi-Fi networks in range and it is a good idea to disable the Wi-Fi functionality whenever it isn’t required.

Tip 3 – Make sure that you securely access your web mail If you access your email through your iPhone and use web mail such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo Mail then accessing these emails isn’t always secure. You need to ensure that you are using SSL when accessing your web mail as this encrypts emails that are sent and received via the iPhone.

Tip 4 – When browsing online ensure this is done through the Safari web browser You should ensure that the Internet security settings used on your iPhone are fully optimised. When you purchase your iPhone the majority of these settings are turned on by default but they should be checked to ensure they are as you expect. It is also important to check the cookies settings as this can be a security risk and to delete these cookies on a regularl basis.

Tip 5 – Decide on your iPhone’s usage restrictions and set them The iPhone is targeted at consumers and there are a lot of younger iPhone users. Parents are therefore advised to set iPhone restrictions and block any explicit or inappropriate content from being shown on the phone.

 

Article by Sarah Wain, 18th November 2011. Content correct at the date of publication.