The following is a post from staff writer Crystal at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, where she writes about finding the balance between paying your bills, saving for your future, and budgeting in the fun stuff along the way.
Buying a smart phone is a major investment because you spend hundreds of dollars and are often locked into a long term contract. Since you are making such a big investment, you may want to make sure that your phone’s data is protected from theft and programs trying to access your information. Here are a few useful security applications to protect your phone.
Smart Phone Security App #1 – McAfee WaveSecure
You have probably heard of the McAfee name before. The company is one of the largest antivirus and malware protection companies in the world. WaveSecure is protection software that stops users from being able to get away with stealing your phone. If your phone is stolen, McAfee lets you lock your cell phone down from a distance and erase all of the data from it. You can then track your phone automatically via its GPS system and also stop thieves from manipulating your SIM card.
Smart Phone Security App #2 – Lookout Mobile Security
Downloading apps and programs can be a risky business. You are never quite sure if an app that you are downloading is totally secure or if it has a Trojan virus within it. Lookout Mobile Security protects smart phone users from malicious software downloads. The software does this by checking for viruses before downloading any applications. All of the phone’s data is backed up and securely protected. The mobile security application can also help you track your phone down in the event of theft.
Smart Phone Security App #3 – Webroot
Webroot is a popular PC and mobile protection software that protects Android smart phone users against malware and spam. Webroot will scan web pages and URLs to make sure that they are safe before accessing the page. You can keep pages with viruses from opening so that your operating system will not get infected. This is useful software for mobile Internet surfers that want to make sure their phones are protected.
Smart Phone Security App #4 – Portscan
Portscan is great for iPhone users that want to be sure that there are no areas of vulnerability on their phone. Portscan will check every single port and let you know via report form what applications and programs are accessing your system. You can schedule port scans to randomly scan your system for thorough updates.
Smart Phone Security App #5 – Find My iPhone
According to Daniel, Find My iPhone allows him to locate his iPhone using GPS, lock it remotely, and even wipe the date remotely. He pairs it with Google’s 2 Step Verification, so that if a thief does turn off the phone, he can still go online and deactivate all of the Google services.
My Personal Experience – Total Equipment Protection
My first Samsung Epic was stolen from my purse while donating blood earlier this year. I didn’t have any security apps installed at the time, so my phone was just gone. Now I have the Total Equipment Protection App, which works similarly to McAfee WaveSecure and Find My iPhone. If my phone is lost or stolen again, I will be able to log on to my account from any Internet connection and use my pin to lockout anybody, locate my phone, sound an alarm, or simply erase all of my data.
What other smart phone security apps do you suggest?
