Technology has invented many ways today to keep secrets safe. Often when a discussion related to encryption comes up people tend to say that they have nothing to hide so why encrypt their phones? However, indirectly they mean that they believe no one will ever bother to dig into their phones to look for something valuable.
Then again, we all know that such hopes are not true. An important file or private pictures saved in your cell phone that is left in the living room can easily become an object of examination for everyone around. Are you ready to let anyone go through your photos, letters, credit card numbers, Pin codes, Facebook and documents just like that?
Malware and the trend in cyber crime.
A recent dangerous trend in the cybercrime world is a malware that is able to steal all your valuable information from your phone. Stolen information includes images that can be potentially useful in fraud and identity crimes, allowing the thief to also scan the phone’s memory in search of useful mobile banking codes and passwords. Recent cases were reported where the users were blackmailed with saucy photos of themselves.
So you see your data is not safe in your phone in any way except one. All those mishaps and stolen data can be prevented if private information is encrypted. Encryption is a unique process of transforming your data and information stored in your phones in such a way that no unauthorized third party person can read it, allowing only the trusted user to access the data in its original form. There are several encryption methods, but one of the main keys to security is to keep your encryption password a secret.
Is there a way to keep data safe?
The most convenient way to keep your data safely encrypted would be to install an encrypted vault in your smartphone, also known as a container. Encrypting your phone this way will allow you to fix the problems of data breaches, which are now the top threats posed by stolen or lost phones and tablets. However, after getting an encrypted vault, you need to follow a few simple steps:
- Make sure your encryption password is not easy to guess and keep it a secret from your friends and those you do not trust.
- Store all your private information on the encrypted drive.
- If however, the vault is damaged all files will be stored. Therefore, it is important that you backup all your data on your computer to be on the safe side.
Your phone is your portable computer in your pocket and also a treasure of personal information. You would not want to leave your laptop unlocked in public, so why leave your phone unlocked and vulnerable? Lock up your phone and encrypt it as soon as you can!
Keep in mind that once you encrypt some phones, it cannot go back the way it was. If you wish to restore all the previous settings, you will have to reset your phone that will erase all data and downloaded apps. Then again, encryption is the only feasible way to secure your private data, which is why you should encrypt your phone.
