There are over 2.7 billion smartphone users in the world today, and over half of us are addicted to using them. They have become an extension of ourselves, so it is important to stay protected and be in control of our own privacy. Hence, we asked our team of security experts to recommend a list of applications that enhances your mobile security.
1. Ublock Origin Addon for Mozilla Firefox
Who likes ads? Not us!! They make web browsing a slower, more invasive experience. Did you know that most ad-blockers actually allow selected ads to filter through anyway? That is why you will often be prompted with a “disable adblocker” splash screen on an increasing number of websites. uBlock Origin strays from the pack and is a monster at content-filtering and ad-blocking. When paired with Mozilla Firefox it is an unstoppable force and will clean up your web browsing experience.
2. Sophos Mobile Security
If you are concerned about data theft or malicious attacks from hackers then you are probably running some sort of antivirus software. However, most people think that mobile devices are immune to an attack. While the risks are certainly lower, it is always important to put protective measures in place.
Sophos Mobile Security won the best protection award in 2015, it will block websites that contain spam or illegal content, scan your apps for malware as they are installed and will alert you if they contain harmful content or are capable of leaking any sensitive information. Best of all the app is completely free without any intrusive ads.
3. LastPass
LastPass is a password manager that allows you to save all your login credentials in a safe and secure vault. However, simply using LastPass will not secure your online accounts. LastPass has its own password generator as well as a guide on how to set up a secure password. It also has cross-platform support which will sync between all your devices. Just make sure you don’t forget your master password!
4. Bouncer
Do you ever feel like somebody is watching you? That’s because they probably are. Bouncer allows you to take control of your privacy and lets you choose when and where you share your personal information. It allows you to grant temporary permissions to applications that request permanent access to your location (amongst a long list of other things).
Bouncer will allow an app to access certain permissions for long enough to check-in at a location and then disable the permission once you leave the app. This is a great way to safely navigate social media without handing over permanent access to your information.
5. ProtonMail
ProtonMail’s datacentres are located under 1,000 meters of granite rock in a heavily guarded nuclear bunker in Switzerland. Now if that doesn’t sound secure, I don’t know what will. ProtonMail is the world’s largest secure email service which is protected by Swiss privacy law.
ProtonMail allows you to send fully encrypted emails, however, sending emails to non-ProtonMail users requires the use of a password for the email to remain encrypted. Another useful feature is the ability to make emails self-destruct at a specific time once they have been sent.
6. Signal
If having secure email isn’t enough, you will need to replace your current SMS and messaging apps as well. Signal is regarded as the most private and secure way to communicate and was built to replace your mobile's standard SMS app. Like ProtonMail, messages are protected by end-to-end encryption.
However, if you are sending messages to a non-Signal user, messages will be sent as a regular SMS and will not be protected. Signal is also capable of secure voice and video calls between users and even has an incognito keyboard which means that it won’t collect your keystrokes in order to try and learn from the way you type.
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