The five mistakes putting your smartphone security at risk

There are a number of bad habits that can make our phones less secure, putting our personal information and privacy at risk.

If you want to make your phone more secure, here are a few things to watch out for.

Five mistakes that could be putting your phone security at risk

Public WIFI networks come with many risks (Image: Getty Images) These are the five mistakes that could be putting your Android or iPhone security at risk, according to the tech experts over at Hitprobe.

Neglecting software updates

It can be easy to ignore software updates with the hassle and inconvenience of them putting many users off.

However, these updates include critical security patches which will protect your phone against the latest threats

Connecting to unsecured public WiFi

Free public WIFI can be tempting, especially if you're trying to save data but these unsecured networks can be used by cyber criminals looking to intercept information.

To protect themselves, users can make use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when joining public internet connections.

Not using device encryption

Unencrypted devices are goldmines for criminals looking to easily access data from stolen phones.

Users should make sure that full-disk encryption is enabled on their smartphones.

This will be in the security settings on most smartphones. It is also a good idea to set up remote tracking and wiping so that you can protect your data if you lose your smartphone.

Smartphones store a lot of personal information (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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Oversharing location data through apps

Smartphones are known to track and share your location through apps with many users often not being aware of this.

Sharing location data can expose users to stalking, identity theft, burglary and even targeted attacks as it can reveal personal routines and sensitive information.

It is a good idea to regularly review and manage the app permissions on your smartphone and disable location services for any apps that don’t need it.

Not using biometric security features

Many people rely on simple PINs or pattern locks to unlock their phones because it’s an easy option.

However, most modern smartphones come with advanced biometric security features.

These include fingerprint scanners and facial recognition technology which are much stronger.