Secure The Information On Your Smartphone

By Nicole Wiseman and Chris Howell, NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- A lot of people are using smartphones. Smartphones are a regular cell phone, but with plenty of extras like Internet access.

"They're a blessing because I can get any kind of information I need on my phone. I can get my e-mail, multiple e-mail accounts. I can get voicemail, text messages. I can browse the Internet," said David Greer, who is the Executive Director of The Institute for Information Security at The University of Tulsa. "Now it's a curse because I can get my voicemail. I can get my e-mail accounts. I can get my text messages. So, now I'm always in communication with everyone."

With all the smartphone features, most of us couldn't stand being without it. But, imagine for a moment your smartphone is lost or stolen. Is your personal information secure?

"Take some steps to protect yourselves from, if they are stolen, from people accessing them and getting information easily off those phones," said Greer.

The Institute for Information Security at The University of Tulsa is offering four simple steps that will take you a long way in protecting your privacy.

• For starters, you should activate the smartphone's master password. Once a password is set, you'll have to enter it every time before you can use the phone.
• If you're going to store important information on your phone, like account passwords or bank numbers, disguise it. Make that information hard to identify.
• If the smartphone is lost, change your e-mail passwords immediately. That way any personal information in your e-mail account can't be taken or even used for identity theft.

"For example, if it's web enabled, I can get on the Internet. I can get to your e-mail. I can send everyone I know and you know an e-mail that comes from you, the person you stole the phone from. And they think it's you and they can ask personal information," said Greer. "Or you can e-mail the person's wife and say, ‘hey honey, I forgot the pin number to the ATM card or the bank account.' And that's a trusted message now because it looks like it's coming right from you."

• Finally, notify your IT administrator if a company issued smartphone is lost. Many companies have the capability to erase all data on employee smartphones remotely.

Click here to read more on important smartphone security measures.

"You have to be very careful on what kind of information you store on these devices; how well you protect that information on those devices. Because now everything we do, we're going to do on these small, personal devices that we take everywhere with us," said Greer.