1. How to be safe in a digital environment?
The smart phone is now inseparable from many people, and so, is the weakest point.
Summary
How do smartphones become spies?
How do hackers get into smartphones?
What are the signs that the smartphone has been "hacked"?
Why is network security as simple as washing hands with soap?
If you have problems, ask who?
How do smartphones become spies?
Smart phone has so many gadgets, with camera, microphone, locating, wireless network connection and many other functions. Unfortunately, privacy and security are not the top concerns for most manufacturers, as they are concerned with convenience and cost to be more competitive.
All of that makes smartphones ideal for tracking, eavesdropping, getting location, sensitive data, and even impersonating for messaging to other phones.
If someone has control of your smartphone, that person probably knows more about you than you do.
How do hackers get into smartphones?
There are many ways, from easy to difficult, used by hackers. The easiest, no need for any technology level, just scams, fake tricks. Hackers can collect public information on the Internet, such as social networks, the Internet, to build deceptive content with trustworthy information specifically for each individual, often hitting the individual's own desires.
More advanced, hackers can create software, possibly malware, or malware that hides a regular app, for example, apps to watch movies and listen to music to entice users to install and use.
Much more advanced, professional hacker attacks to exploit the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the phone or of the mainstream apps to penetrate.
What are the signs that the smartphone has been "hacked"?
The phone gets hot often though not in use, battery gets "drained" frequently or reduces lifespan even though less usage of apps, because intrusive malware running in the background will consume phone resources to scan the device and transmit the information back to the hacker's control server.
The phone suddenly becomes frequently frozen, or paused, or the apps frequently shut down suddenly, even sometimes the phone is restarted. This could be because malware is overloading resources or conflicting with other apps.
Monthly data used is higher than demand or suddenly spikes, leading to higher data charges. This may be due to the fact that data from the phone is transmitted to the hacker's control server over the network connection.
Any strange app, not installed by yourself, suddenly appears, most likely this is a malware or spyware.
Why is network security as simple as washing hands with soap?
Just with right awareness and habits, each person can protect themselves, limiting up to 80% of risks, the remaining 20%, only professional attackers, spending a huge amount of resources, can threaten.
Each person yourself should understand the apps you have installed on your smartphone as your own body. Smartphones allow users to control and grant appropriate permissions for each app according to their functional needs of use. You should delete apps you do not use, manually decentralize the apps you need appropriately, for example, the "Perpetual Calendar" app does not need to access your Contacts or Location, therefore no need to grant that permission to this app. Only installing apps from official stores, with Apple Store in iPhone and Google Play Store in Android phones. Minimizing the installation of floating apps of unknown origin.
Establishing yourself strong password when using the phone and apps, always updating to the latest version of the operating system and apps.
Installing security apps for your smartphone, like retrofitting your property with keys. Vietnam has very good apps, such as smartphone security software from BKAV, CMC or Viettel.
If you have problems, ask who?
Contacting the National Cyber Security Center, Authority of Information Security of the Ministry of Information and Communications for consultation and support.
Online address for consultation and support for people at: https://khonggianmang.vn/
2. What does each person need to prepare for themselves?
Constantly learning, constantly raising awareness, each day each person learns new things for themselves. When he was 76 years old, Uncle Ho still said: "By myself, I study every day. If there is something unknown, let's find out, study, and learn from those around, from what is already available, and is shared from trusted sites. If there is something you know, let's guide, share with people around. Young people guide the elderly and children. People who know much guide people who know little, people who know little guide people who do not know. Teaching and sharing with everyone digital skills is to help yourself have a safer, healthier and better digital world.
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