3 Apps to Help Keep Your Identity Safe on Mobile Devices
Your smartphone (or possibly your tablet) is likely the command center for your life. You may have banking information stored on it so you can easily take a picture and deposit a check. Maybe you have shopping apps so you can order anything with the click of a single button. Or perhaps you have birthdays and other personal information stored on your phone.
While it’s convenient to have everything you need in your pocket, phones are often lost or stolen; and lost smartphones can mean lost contacts, photos, notes, and other information.
Here are three apps to consider to help keep your identity safe on your mobile devices:
Odds are, you are going to lose your phone one day. And when that happens, the best way to prevent your information from being stolen is removing the data from your phone remotely. If you have an iPhone, iPad or other Apple device, you can find your phone using the Find My iPhone app, to remotely wipe it if needed. The app is already included on newer Apple devices, but if you have an older device, you can install it. Then, just log in to your account from another device or a computer to see the location of your phone or tablet. If the phone is turned on, you can see on the map where it is located — and even activate a sound to help you find it which is particularly helpful if it’s just stuck between your car’s seats. If the phone is not turned on, or you are concerned it has been stolen, you can select the option to remotely wipe your data, which removes your apps, files and photos from the device.
2. TunnelBear (Basic free version)
Even though we know it’s not secure, it’s tempting (and sometimes necessary) to connect to a public wireless network. Public WiFi hotspots present tempting targets to hackers. Many people choose to use VPNs to help reduce security risks in these situations. By using a VPN, you have your own private network using a public wireless connection. With TunnelBear VPN, your IP address is masked and your data is encrypted, which means you may have a reduced likelihood of being hacked.
3. LastPass
Knowing the dangers of a thief gaining access to your phone, many people use a password manager to help protect their data as well as make it easier to remember passwords. With LastPass, you only need to remember one password, which makes it easier to have strong passwords for all apps. You create your account with one long, secure master password, and LastPass uses AES-256 bit encryption to do the rest. Additionally, the app encrypts all your passwords and requires two factor authentications for added security. If you want to make it even harder for someone else to gain access, enable the fingerprint feature on the app.