On vacation, the smartphone is not only useful for taking photos and posting them on Facebook, but also allows you to check the status of the bank account, the credit of PostePay, Paypal or make payments online with your credit card. Access to the bank's website can be done comfortably from any smartphone that connects to the internet, but caution is still required, because the smartphone can be stolen, lost or spied on from a distance. 5 are the main precautions to be taken to avoid any risk that important bank data may be used by outsiders .
1) Surf 3G / 4G, Avoid public Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is good for surfing, but it is not adequately secure to ensure that the information transmitted over the network is not visible externally.
The talk about Wifi is especially true for unsecured connections found around, but even protected ones do not guarantee that their manager is honest.
In fact, within a Wifi network, traffic can be theoretically intercepted and spied on. On the other hand, 3G or 4G mobile data connections are more secure, because telephone operators use authentication and encryption methods that are almost impossible to compromise.
When browsing in wifi you must avoid writing passwords using the keyboard (the passwords already stored cannot be intercepted) and make sure not to write sensitive data on sites that do not have https connection.
READ ALSO: Surf https on banking sites, online stores, Facebook and others, with secure connection
2) Be prepared in case of theft or loss
A cell phone can be lost or stolen easily. If before losing a mobile phone meant only having to buy it again, today losing a smartphone means giving all those stored in it to those who find it or who stole it, including bank access data if you use a specific app.
It is therefore important to set a PIN or an alternative unlocking method such as finger tracking. You then need to configure a cell phone tracking method to be able to locate it or to take more drastic countermeasures, such as sending the self-destruction command, or rather the self-cancellation of the entire memory.
On iPhone there is the Find My iPhone app, on Android device management or other anti-theft applications.
In any case, if your cell phone is stolen, it is a good idea to change all the passwords of the online bank as well as those of other applications.
READ ALSO: How to secure the data of an Android mobile phone in 10 ways .
3) Smartphone security
While viruses are difficult to catch on iPhone, Android remains a more vulnerable system. Viruses enter the mobile phone if you install infected applications so you have to be careful of alternative markets and be very careful when installing apps for wallpapers, ringtones, games etc.
If viruses are quite rare, you must avoid friends or other people from physically accessing the phone and opening sensitive apps.
Physical access to the phone can be a problem and some friends may become too curious, perhaps by opening the app to access the online bank.
The PIN or the unlocking model can be useful, even better though is to put the password protection for some apps using, on Android, App to block the opening of applications on Android .
4) Use the official App of your bank
To enter the bank account, it is better to avoid logging in from the web browser and writing passwords, much better to use the official app of your bank or credit card company. This is an advantage because it denies all browser vulnerabilities, makes phishing tricks that attackers commonly use to steal information ineffective. There is only one concern: finding the official app and not falling for a fake and malicious app. Search for the bank's official app on Google Play or the iTunes Store and then read the comments, the name of the developer and the owner who must be the bank itself.
Among the apps, in Google Play for Android, there are those of the Unicredit, Intesa Sanpaolo, PostePay, MPS, Mediolanum, BNL, Paypal etc. banks.
Obviously, after installation, it is recommended to protect it with the App Lock, (see point 3).
5) Turn your smartphone into a security tool
Despite all the risks, the smartphone is a valuable tool to protect yourself. A blocked antivirus phone running can be a security advantage. Just think of the SMS that arrives after making a payment by credit card or the automatic notifications that some banks send in case of significant movements of sums of money or even a withdrawal from an unusual place.
