October 19, 2016

Essential Apps to Keep Your Smartphone Secure

By Vigneswaran S Uncategorized 0 Comments

If you have a smartphone, it is likely you use it to
carry out most of your communication throughout the day. Whether you’re using
your mobile device to message friends, check your social media accounts or trackyour fitness, you’re sharing personal information
online. To keep this data safe and secure, these are the kinds of apps you need
to install on your smartphone.

Anti-virus
Apps

Many
people assume smartphones and tablets are immuneto viruses and malware, but this simply isn’t the case. You
can indeed download infected programs and files that can seriously harm your
mobile device. To help prevent this from happening, there are several mobile
anti-virus apps available you can download to your tablet or phone:

–
Avast!
Antivirus. Avast! is a free anti-virus program that
is available for both mobile and desktop devices.
–
Bullguard.
This
is an all-in-one mobile anti-virus app that also includes anti-theft and mobile
security features.
–
Norton
Mobile Security. Norton’s yearly subscription provides
coverage on up to 10 devices, so you can protect your phone, tablet and
smartphone with just one annual payment.

Password
Managers

Essential Apps to Keep Your Smartphone Secure 2

Whenever you register to a new service or website, it
is recommended you create a new password.

Most internet users forego this step
and simply reusethe same password over and over for the sake of
convenience, but this tactic can compromise your privacy and safety in the
online world. If there is ever a password leak on any of the sites to which you
are registered, your login details could be compromised, and if you use the
same password for everything, your bank details and other important private
information could fall into the wrong hands.

Password manager apps help to prevent this from
happening, as they generate random, secure logins for every new site you join.
Whenever you wish to log in to any site, you type your master password into the
password manager, and the app will fill in the unique login details. There is
no need to remember dozens of passwords, and each one is kept safe and secure.

Some useful password manager apps you should look into
include:

–
LastPass.
This
is a cloud-based password manager that stores your logins on its servers in an
encrypted form.
–
Dashlane.
As
a newer password manager app, Dashlane offers apps for nearly every mobile platform,
including Windows, iOS and Android.
–
KeePass.
KeePass
is similar to LastPass, except your information is stored directly on your
computer rather than in cloud storage.

Virtual
Private Networks

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an essential tool
in keeping your online communications safe and secure. When you connect to a
VPN, all of the information you send and receive over the internet is encrypted
so that no third parties can access the data you’re sharing. You can also use
VPNs to make it seem as if you are in a different location, which allows you to
unlock geo-blocked services such as international Netflix sites and BBCiPlayer. There are plenty of useful VPNs out there, and some
of our favorites include:

–
ExpressVPN.
As
one of the most highly rated VPNs, ExpressVPN offers up fast speeds and can be
used on up to three devices on a single subscription.
–
Buffered
VPN. This VPN allows you to hide your IP address and
location while encrypting emails and enables you to browse anonymously.
–
HideMyAss.
This
app is available for all operating systems and features simple setup to protect
your data online.

Lock
Apps

Sometimes it isn’t enough to use only your phone’s
built-in lock functions. To provide an extra level of protection to prevent any
third parties from gaining access to your mobile device, there are plenty of
apps available that allow you to lock various communications and apps on your
smartphone.

–
Leo
Privacy Guard. This lock app allows you to lock and
unlock apps based on time and location.
–
AppLocker.
This
app provides users with plenty of different options, allowing them to lock
apps, messages, notes and even calls.
–
AppLock
– Fingerprint. This is a unique lock app that features a
fingerprint sensor, and you can even program it to take a picture of anyone who
attempts to gain unauthorized access to your phone.

Secure
Messaging Apps

Essential Apps to Keep Your Smartphone Secure 3

When you communicate with friends, family and
coworkers on your smartphone, it is likely you’ll share sensitive information
from time to time. To keep your communications safe, there are quite a few
messaging apps that are designed with your privacy in mind. Some of the most
secure messaging apps for your smartphone or tablet are:

–
Gliph.
This app has a “Real Delete” feature that allows you to remove messages permanently
from both the sending and receiving devices.
–
Wickr.
This messaging app sets an expiry date for every message you send, so there is
never the chance for a third party to read messages that are left on your
contacts’ phones.
–
WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging apps in the world, so if
you already have it on your phone or tablet, you’ll be pleased to know it nowfeatures end-to-end encryption. This means no one—not
even WhatsApp—can intercept or view your messages.

Installing these apps on your smartphone will keep you
and your data safe and secure. Most of the programs listed are only small
downloads that will take up minimal space, so it is certainly worth downloading
them to ensure your peace of mind.

How do you keep your smartphone safe and secure? Leave
us a comment and let us know what your favorite security apps are!

Author
Bio: Caroline is a technology blogger who specializes in security and privacy.
She is committed to teaching internet users how to keep their information safe
when communicating online.

Tags:Guest Post