From photos and messages to everyday apps, phones hold a great deal of sensitive information, which can make them attractive targets for cybercriminals.

To help Brock students, faculty and staff protect their devices and data, the University’s Information Technology Services (ITS) team is sharing phone cybersecurity advice.

Common phone cybersecurity threats to be aware of include:

• Phishing, a strategy that uses fake emails, texts, social media messages or calls to steal personal information or manipulate users into download malware.
• Malicious apps, which can often mimic legitimate apps, that collect personal information or cause users to download malware.
• Fake public Wi-Fi networks, which are unsecured networks cybercriminals use to steal sensitive data and compromise device security.

Brock ITS advises users protect their phones and personal information by:

• Enabling multi-factor authentication, which makes it harder for cybercriminals to access phones, especially if it’s lost or stolen.
• Enabling a lock screen with a PIN, fingerprint or facial recognition to help protect their phones when lost or left unattended and setting their phones up to lock automatically after inactivity.
• Being wary of suspicious calls and messages, which could be phishing scams, and verifying requests for personal information by contacting organizations directly using official website details.
• Reviewing app permissions, such as access to a phone’s location or camera, and checking the terms and privacy policy for information on how collected data will be used.
• Avoiding or uninstalling apps with excessive or unclear data collection permissions.
• Connecting to secure, verified Wi-Fi networks that don’t ask for personal information and confirming the correct Wi-Fi network with someone employed by the venue.
• Using a VPN on public Wi-Fi, which can offer additional protection but doesn’t fully prevent malware.
• Ensuring the apps and operating systems are up-to-date.

Brock community members can also reach out to ITS with questions about smartphone cybersecurity or forward suspicious messages to [email protected] for the IT Security team to investigate.