Can you prevent your phone being hacked?

Cases to stop cracks and passwords to stop hacks; there are many ways in which we can protect our phones.


Asked by: Lorna Ellis, Cambridge

You can never completely avoid your phone being hacked. You could stay off the network altogether but that would defeat the object of having a mobile phone. Even then you are vulnerable to any opportunist who finds your handset lying around. In the notorious tabloid newspaper phone hacks, imposters accessed victims’ voicemails by guessing the appropriate PIN.

So being savvy about your voicemail password and changing it from the default is the first step in foiling the hackers. But not only is it about protecting your voicemail. Data on your phone could also be at risk. Avoid storing passwords on the device and if you absolutely have to, do so using a secure app. Another security tip is to switch off the text auto complete function so at least if your phone does fall into the wrong hands, it would be harder to trick the device into betraying your personal information.

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