Safeguard Your Mobile Devices and Internet from Security Threats

As far as mobile devices and internet security are concerned, we firmly believe in the adage that it's better to be safe than sorry. No company, regardless of size, is ever spared from cyberattacks; as the technologies we use become more and more sophisticated, so, too, do the cybercriminals working in the cybercrime underground.

We've seen this last May in the cyberattack against Colonial Pipeline, one of the largest pipeline systems in the United States, which was forced to shut down its pipes after hackers infected the company's network with ransomware, thus leading to fuel shortages and fuel panic buying in the southeastern states.

What more for small businesses? As per a study by the Better Business Bureau, 22% of small businesses have been targeted by cybercriminals, so it's necessary to tighten your security measures to deflect cyberattacks that could jeopardize your business's operations. These include safeguarding not just your in-office networks and devices but also employees' work and personal devices, which they use to access private work files.

Mobile Device and Internet Security: What Are They?

Mobile device security pertains to the overall protection of the data on mobile or portable devices (both personal and corporate) such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and smartwatches.

On the other hand, Internet security comprises security measures to safeguard one's transactions and activities online and is a component of larger concepts like cybersecurity and IT security.

Security Tips to Protect Your Mobile Device

Create strong passwords

Make sure to create strong passwords for your devices and accounts using a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Weak passwords are vulnerable to password spraying when cybercriminals gain access to your account by guessing the password. Moreover, refrain from reusing passwords across and between your personal and work devices and accounts, as well as including identifying information like your age or birthday.

Make use of multi-factor authentication

Our phones carry sensitive information. Make use of multi-factor authentication to protect your data if your device gets stolen or lost, especially if you access work apps or tools on your phone. Authentication factors range from passwords, security questions, authenticator applications for one-time passcodes, and biometric authentication (fingerprint, facial, and voice recognition).

Be careful in downloading apps

Hackers can compromise mobile applications, so take caution when downloading apps from Google PlayStore or the App Store. Prevent data leakage from malicious apps by researching about the app you wish to download and reading every bit of information before granting the app any access to your data.

Regularly update your device's operating system

Security patches are software issued to correct vulnerabilities or errors in a particular product or device, but your device must be up to date for these to work properly. Regularly check for updates on your device's operating system or better yet, enable push notifications to remind you every time there's a new system update.

Refrain from joining open or public Wi-Fi networks

Cybercriminals can easily create fake Wi-Fi hotspots to steal your data the moment you connect your device. So, while those free Wi-Fi connections at the mall may look tempting, avoid connecting to these and other open Wi-Fi networks in public as much as possible.

The Importance of Internet Security

Nowadays, it seems difficult to pinpoint where our offline lives end and where our online lives begin. The internet has become ever-present in our daily lives, thus blurring any demarcations, to begin with. Even in the absence of social media, we use the internet in the slightest of ways, from checking the news and the weather to confirming appointments and accessing Google Maps.

But just as how we take precautionary measures in our so-called offline lives to protect ourselves from the threats lurking outside our homes, so should we take the necessary steps to protect our lives online. We call this internet security, which comprises measures to protect the information we send and receive online from threats like malware, viruses, phishing, and more.

Consider Cisco Umbrella

We know your organization has contextualized needs when it comes to security, but if you're looking for comprehensive and sweeping protection from internet-based threats, consider Cisco Umbrella.

Cisco Umbrella is cloud-delivered security, which means you don't have to worry about installing any hardware or updating any software. Its multiple security functions, including DNS-layer security, secure web gateway, firewall, cloud access security broker, and interactive threat intelligence, allow you to uncover potential network threats, monitor internet activity across all users and devices and effectively protect your network from phishing, malware, and ransomware.

And if you could have access to the broadest set of security in the market, why not also do this in the most simplified way? This is what we aim to do in Uniserve, by doing the protecting for you. Our IT security services, backed by our ethos of care for your data, are tailored to fit all your security needs.

Partner with us and count on having more confidence and assurance when connecting to the internet.