Tuesday 5 June 2012

The 4 Ways You Can Properly Secure Your Blackberry

By Ilechukwu Magnus


You may probably have been hearing it every day on the news: somebody's identity was stolen, that person has lost his handheld device, and hackers have found a new way to obtain data from the computer. Even those big name personalities aren't immune to this problems. Can you still recall when the John McCain campaign accidentally sold a Blackberry to Fox with all that confidential campaign information? Or how about when Tom Cruise's Blackberry went missing while he was promoting his movie in Canada?

With all these news around you, you may get so scared on how you can effectively protect your Blackberry. There are certain steps you can take to ensure that your handheld device is safe.

Protecting Your Blackberry

Think of your Blackberry as a Mini- Computer- If you haven't actually realized this, a blackberry is your mini-computer and it is important that you take note of this. You wouldn't attempt accessing your bank details and participating on other activities that require you key in your personal or financial data online with your computer if it is not protected with firewall programs, encryption programs, anti-virus and anti-malware programs, would you? No, you wouldn't. And you shouldn't on your Blackberry either. This smart phone is often the target of spyware, viruses, and malware, although many users don't realize it. Spyware is most often the biggest problem, intercepting emails, text messages, and even remotely turning on the smart phone so intruders can listen in on your conversations.

Have A Second Look Around- Do you ever stop to look around you before you sign into your email account or bank online with your Blackberry? Like most people have responded, it have never occurred to you. Unfortunately, you are compromising your own privacy by doing this, as everyone around you can easily see you enter your password and can read every email you open. To prevent this problem, look around before you punch in your password, and, if possible, conduct your business in a private location, away from prying eyes.

Device A Backup Plan- You have tried to the best of your knowledge but somehow you still misplace the Blackberry. You can't see where it is and yet you don't want anybody that will see it to have access to the vital information it contains. Don't worry, there are ways to keep your data secure. Certain software programs can be installed directly on the Blackberry, allowing you to remotely lock it or, if you feel the Blackberry is gone for good, erase all of the information on it. With these encryption software programs, you can even turn your Blackberry into another piece of hardware, instead of a device that contains sensitive corporate data.

Install Encryption- If you have spyware on your butt, a third party can often read your intercepted email messages and data. However, if you have encryption functioning on your smart phone, your email messages will remain safe despite whatever program is trying to attack you. Any information that is stolen will remain encrypted, meaning it cannot be read or understood by anyone who does not have the proper encryption key.

Protecting your Blackberry is simple if you know what to do. It is important for you to take the proper steps, though. It is not wise to take chances with your personal or business data. Use anti-virus protection, firewalls, data encryption, and a little common sense to keep your private data private.




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