How do you protect data on mobile devices?

Using passwords for mobile devices that are related to your social behavior or personal dates poses a significant security risk. Most mobile devices rely on numeric passcodes, and using easily guessable codes based on personal information leaves your data vulnerable. Instead, biometric authentication should be the default method for accessing your device, as it provides a higher level of security. It's crucial to enforce encryption through a Mobile Device Management (MDM) tool operated by the company you work for. This ensures that sensitive corporate information is protected even if the device is lost or stolen. Implementing security best practices through the MDM tool adds an additional layer of protection.

According to the NIST SP800-63B digital identity guideline, password length has been found to be a primary factor in characterizing password strength. That is, password length is more important than password complexity. As suggested by the same NIST guideline, a minimum password length of 8 characters is necessary. Try to avoid graphical keys as typical people tend to draw predictable patterns. Biometric login should be enabled. If Face ID is used, you should check if the smartphone model uses infrared sensors to detect liveliness. Otherwise, the Face ID login might be easily passed with a photo of the owner (relatedly, don’t use your own photo as the Lock Screen wallpaper). For sensitive apps, enable separate passwords or PINs.

Avoid side loading apps even if your mobile operating system allows it. App stores provide reasonable protection against malicious applications and developers have to follow certain security standards to publish their apps in app stores. Android phones allow users to install apps from "unknown sources", you need to disable this in the settings. And remember to always keep your apps and OS up to date, preferably by setting your phone to automatically download and install updates. This can also be done manually, just make sure to regularly check for updates.

While it is true using encryption and long passwords are effective ways to protect your devices, not every piece of software is designed to cope with the encryption method you use and a long password can be a hassle. Biometric technology has reached a comfortable level of confidence which should be taken advantage of. Encrypting your communications should be part of a standard as currently assigning encryption to your phone would basically leave you out of using any app outside your "encryption realm"

I don't agree that long passwords are effective on mobile devices and the productivity hit is far too big a hurdle to deal with most times. Various multi-factor should be layered that are all part of the phone and therefore easy to leverage. Face + 6 Digit PIN Fingerprint + 6 Digit PIN Or for absolute overkill; Face + Fingerprint + 6 Digit PIN All of the above are easy to leverage and far more effective than a long aggravating password that is going to require a ton of resets. If you really want to go medieval then require a Bluetooth or USB FOB every so often.

This step is fundamental on protecting your data as keeping your phone updated will prevent existing vulnerabilities and the timing on this action is sometimes overlooked. In addition to scrutinizing and being careful when downloading new apps, be careful when popups or clicking on webpages that prompt you to download files.

New vulnerabilities are discovered day by day, unless you only use GNU software and patch it yourself, you got to be up to date with updates and patches. Even so aside from keeping yourself up to date you should be aware of any and every piece of software reaching outside your network and identify possible malware in your devices

This is a no-brainer and enterprises should all have their trusted app store while not allowing sideloads or jailbreaks. One of the challenges is that there is not a consistent pattern with Android devices on updates which creates its own set of challenges.

This is a given, and partly why the company issuing the phone to employees should retain control of the device. People are people, and can forget, bypass, reschedule or otherwise put aside updates. Automated and controlled manual updated by a security department of a company prevents this.

Never ignore your app updates. App updates are not something which eats your space. Its the update of application involving experience, security and protection of your data from the threats from Internet

Certainly! the real ways to protect your data on mobile devices: 1.Backup Your Data: Regularly back up your data to a secure cloud service or an external device so that you can recover it if your device is lost or stolen. 2.Enable Remote Wipe: Enable the remote wipe feature on your device. This allows you to erase your data if your device is lost or stolen. 3. Log Out of Accounts: Always log out of accounts, especially on shared or public devices. 4. Secure Your Bluetooth: Disable Bluetooth when not in use, and avoid connecting to unknown devices. 5.Physical Security: Keep your device physically secure. Don't leave it unattended in public places.

Remote wipe will protect your personal data by deleting everything on the mobile device as soon as it connects to any public network. This step will protect at least partially your your privacy and your business if you keep its data on your mobile device. Remote backup will allow you to recover from a wipe and at least have access to the previous versions of your data. It is clearly very important as you can save personal and invaluable data like you id's, family photos and other important documents as well.

All a basic requirement, and another reason for company owned and controlled devices as well as a staunch argument against BOYD or other options.

Mobile theft cases on rise. Make sure you enable to remote wipe mechanism as it can protect your data in case of mobile theft or lost kind of situation

One of the best ways is to connect or use secure networks while accessing data. Free Wifi is not free but it actually makes your device and data vulnerable. Using a secure VPN or accessing through Secure networks will work as a extra layer of security

To paraphrase from my military training , "If you are not using a VPN you are wrong." External access to internal information systems should be protected at all times. The risks of public/open wifi and other methods are well known and easily avoidable.

1.Beware of Public Wi-Fi: Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive tasks. If you must connect to public Wi-Fi, use a VPN to encrypt your internet connection. 2.Educate Yourself: Stay informed about common security threats and phishing scams. Be cautious when clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. 3. Set Data Limits: Limit the amount of data certain apps can use, especially if you have limited data plans.

Reviewing the permissions to software/services is not very common practice, and this tendency needs to be changed in different ways: -???? Awareness and training of users to be mindful before giving permissions. - ???? Creating and following up on KPIs on an organisational level to ensure users are reviewing and adjusting permissions as per the need. - ???? Organisational policies for approved/ licenced software use only and limit on data storage on local devices. - ???? Fine-tuning settings related to privacy, security, and notifications contributes to a more secure environment.

RBAC. Sing it like you would sing YMCA by The Village People. This is security 101 and we all need to may more than just lip service to least access.

Education is key, as no matter if you buy the most modern, state of the art tools to protect yourself, if you don't learn to use them, if you don't get into the security mindset, you might as well leave the vault open. The tools can only help you to a certain extent and you must be responsible for your safety, even if you hire some agency to protect you, they as well will only reach to a certain limit. You will be always the ultimate responsible for your own safety whether you are aware of it or not

To protect your most valuable information on mobile devices is to practice good security practices. Be sure to apply the latest software updates to keep up with patching and to mitigate vulnerabilities. Set strong passwords using alpha numeric and special characters. Use remote wipe if you lose your mobile device, especially if you are utilizing bring your own device in corporate settings. You can also institute permissions and settings to lock your most precious data. Also use multi factor authentication, which include some thing you know, some thing you are and something you have.

MDM can provide many benefits to the enterprise, such as improving data security, enhancing device performance, reducing operational costs, and simplifying device management. However, MDM is not a silver bullet, and it has some limitations and challenges. Therefore, MDM should be complemented by other measures, such as user education, data backup, password protection, VPN, and antivirus software.

MDM can have significant implications on users' privacy in regards to the GDPR, as it involves the collection and processing of personal data, such as device identifiers, location data, usage data, and biometric data. Therefore, the enterprise must ensure that its MDM practices comply with the GDPR principles and requirements. The enterprise must also respect the users' rights and obtain their informed and explicit consent before deploying MDM on personal devices. The enterprise must also inform the users about the scope, purpose, and duration of the MDM, and the types of data that are collected and processed. The enterprise must also provide the users with the option to opt-out, withdraw consent, or request data deletion at any time.