Cybersecurity Myths – phones are safe

Even with the gradual increase in cybersecurity literacy amongst the masses, there are still some myths that people follow religiously, even Cybersecurity professionals. I will set out to bust some of those myths here. Many of the myths have come from companies advertising products as a “silver bullet” solution, some of the myths are because the world has changed and the advice is no longer valid. Cybersecurity myths can be spread by well-meaning people, but you need to consider them with a “pinch of salt”.

In this series of posts about cybersecurity myths, I reveal some common areas of belief, and what you need to do.

Hackers and viruses are only a threat on my desktop or laptop computer, my phone and tablet are safe.

This myth has its origins in laziness. People assuming that their phone is immune from hackers is a dangerous thought. If you consider what is on our phones, you realise that it is a goldmine for hackers. Phone contacts to spoof or contact, messages and emails that reveal your personal data, photos for blackmail, apps to get in to your work systems, even computing power to use for blockchain mining.

Phones are a prime target, and we don’t do enough to protect them. The vendors try to secure devices from inappropriate access, but there is a balance between security and usability. Phone vendors want to be secure, but they can’t prompt too often for security details and permissions, otherwise users will get annoyed.

So, there is still more you can do. Update your phone and apps when a new version is available, be wary of visiting new sites or downloading new apps that ask for extensive permission. And generally, just be cautious of what you do on your phone.