Smartphone
hacking has been increasing at an alarming rate. Malicious applications and
mobile browser hacking account for over 70% of all illegal transactions leading
to monetary losses.
The ultimate
cost of mobile attacks is expected to reach upwards of $1.5 billion by the end
of the current year, while only a meager $40 million is spent on making mobile
apps more secure.
Although
securing mobile applications and private data may not be entirely feasible for
the average smartphone user, one can always take a few extra steps to make their
experience as safe as possible.
Here are
6 mobile security apps you can install today on your Android/iOS
devices, to privatize and secure your devices from cyber-attacks and be a step
ahead of the hackers.
Please note
that none of the applications mentioned in this blog are sponsored. The
recommendations are based on user experience and developer-claimed
functionalities.
1. Fing
Fing is a
free network scanning app that helps you discover devices connected to the same
Wi-Fi network that you are connected to. It will help you track down malicious
or unauthorized network intruders and uncover any connected device’s IP/MAC
Address. It automatically alerts you when new devices access your network.
Alongside
these features, the app also allows you to check device response time, run
Internet speed tests, remotely wake up devices, as well as check on recent
internet outrages based on your location.
One of the
major security threats of wireless network attacks is the capture of
information traffic sent across by network intruders. Fing helps you avoid
being targeted by such an attack. It also detects hidden cameras connected to
the same network so you can be alerted of anybody who may be invading your
privacy in vulnerable places such as hotel rooms.
Get Fing on:
2. Jumbo
We all know
about the fiasco that social media giants like Facebook got into related to
data privacy. Here’s where Jumbo jumps into the action by giving control of
your data back to you.
Jumbo scans
for the apps and websites you use to provide actionable recommendations such as
disabling location tracking, facial recognition, voice, and audio tracking, and
even targeted ads. It also assists you in delete old tweets/posts. All of this
while never collecting your data.
Jumbo plans
on introducing premium features such as dark web monitoring, deleting leaked
addresses, emails, financial information, etc., found on the dark web.
Get Jumbo on:
3. Brave
Browser:
Looking for a
faster, more secure browsing experience? Brave Browser is one of the apps which
delivers just that. It blocks out a wide range of trackers, pop-ups, ads, and
malware.
It only lets
you browse HTTPS (Secure HTTP for encrypted data traffic) for an additional
layer of security. It also blocks 3rd party cookies and privatizes data by
storing browsing activity on the user device only.
It integrates
DuckDuckGo, which creates a privacy-focused browsing environment and therefore
restricts any IP or User information from being stored. Moreover, Brave claims
to retain battery and optimize battery savings better compared to other mobile
browsers.
Get Brave on:
4. Bouncer:
Did you know
that most applications have the liberty to make use of the user-granted
permissions even when that app is not in use? So, let’s say you have given a
certain social media app access to your location. Provided you have granted the
right permissions; it will be able to know your location even if you are not
using the app.
Bouncer helps
you stay abreast of all the app permissions and grants you more control over
what the applications on your device are able to do and when they are able to
do it. Although this app isn’t free, it could well be worth it.
It allows the
user to grant app permissions whenever necessary and revoke the permissions
whenever the app is not in use. It logs all the activity and notifies you of
apps that could be draining your battery, and also alerts you when an app
maliciously tries to sell off data to a third party.
Unfortunately,
this app isn’t available on the Apple App Store yet. So, iOS users won’t be
able to enjoy its features.
Get Bouncer
on:
5. NordPass:
NordPass is a
free-to-use, encrypted password vault which helps you securely store, organize,
and manage unlimited credentials across multiple devices. It protects the
stored passwords with Multi-factor authentication as well as Biometric
identification.
For ease of
use, it also has an auto-fill capability (also seen in apps like Google
Password, except with a more secure 2-step authentication system), and allows
you to share specific passwords to trusted contacts with an encrypted
connection
If you can
manage to get your hands on the premium version of the app, it will also scan
and identify if your data has been leaked and also identify which of your
passwords are weak or reused.
Get NordPass
on:
6. Find My
Device (Remote Wipe):
The above
apps would help you to a great extent in preventing remotely-executed cyber-attacks.
But what if your device itself gets lost or, even worse, stolen?
The Google
Find My Device and the Apple Find My iPhone are applications available on
Andriod and iOS respectively, which help its users to find their devices
through location tracking or remotely lock it.
Suppose by
any unfortunate event your personal device gets stolen. In that case, these
apps can help you wipe the data on that device by accessing your account via
another device and allowing you to erase the stolen device using an Andriod
Device Manager.
Get: Find my iPhone
Conclusion:
A ton of
mobile security apps exist to help the end-users enhance their endpoint
security. However, these apps won’t serve as a permanent solution if mobile
applications remain vulnerable, exploitable, and insecure.
If you are a
mobile application developer and are looking to enhance your application
security, avail a state-of-the-art mobile application security assessment from Squib.media,
which encapsulates various test cases and leaves no stone unturned while
securing your application.
Squib.media
is a Research Focused, CERT-In impaneled Cybersecurity Consulting company
specializing in security assessments of IoT product ecosystem, Web application
& Network with a proven track record of securing applications and
infrastructure for customers across 20+ countries.