One of the coolest things about the Internet is how enabling it is to the user, and how you can find almost anything to read about on-line. The challenge however, this enabling capability is also something that the criminal element utilize to share information with one another on-line as well.
Just recently, I read an article by an identity thief who preys upon smartphone users who leave their phone’s unattended, at which time he moves in quickly to take it into his custody, while making a quick get away.
Over the past several years, several mobile OS vendors have developed technology to allow owner’s to not only locate a lost phone, but also allow the owner to remotely wipe any sensitive/private data that may be on the phone. I have an iPhone (which I have password protected....unfortunately many don’t use this feature) and Apple developed an App called “Find My iPhone” , which uses the GPS technology in the phone to help locate it should it become lost, with a further ability to wipe all data should the phone not be located in a reasonable amount of time.
Many who have downloaded this App, and have further protected their phone with a password, believe that should their phone become lost they will be able to locate it quickly, and more importantly, be able to remotely wipe all their personal/private data. Although these are important steps to take, the criminal element have found a work around.
After stealing your phone, the educated data thief will either:
- immediately pull the the SIM card, which disconnects the phone from the network, thus rendering the GPS function and the mobile wipe function inoperable. After a period of time, the thief will reactivate the phone and then “jailbreak” it searching for valuable information. or
- immediately place the phone in a faraday shielding cloth/device which are easily purchased on-line. The faraday shield then prevents any communication too and from the phone, again making both the GPS and the mobile wipe function inoperable. After a period of time, the thief will reactivate the phone, after you given up hope of locating it, and then begin the jail-breaking process to gain access.
Now if you only carry your smartphone for personal use, and it does not contain any personal/private information that you are not concerned about falling into the hands of a criminal, then loosing your phone, although a huge inconvenience, may not necessarily be a huge privacy risk. For those of you who use your phone for business, or have a considerable amount of private data that you may not want to fall into the hands of a complete stranger or criminal, then loosing your phone does become a huge issue.
So what should we do to protect our mobile phones that contain private information besides ensuring that the OS is up to date:
- Never leave your phone unattended, even for a few seconds
- When not in use, keep your phone on your person at all times, either in a secure pocket or holster
- Don’t be too flashy with your smartphone, why advertise to a criminal that you have one
- Do utilize Apps like “Find My iPhone” because it is still a good piece of software to use if the phone is taken by an uniformed digital criminal
- Make sure you utilize the “passcode” function that all smartphones come with, as this is your first line of defense
- Be very careful about the private/sensitive information that your store on your smartphone
Darren
The Digital Sheepdog
