Your iPhone is so much more than a phone: it’s a running record of all of the places you’ve been, the people you know, and the most important information about you. And because it’s such a sensitive accessory, it’s important to know exactly how you can keep all of the info in it private and secure. Security experts agree: this is the worst privacy mistake you can make if you have an iPhone.
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If the password you’re using on your iPhone is currently some combination of your name and birthday, it’s time to re-evaluate your tech habits.
“Your iPhone could be used as a window to look into your life as it knows almost everything about you,” says Caroline Lee from CocoSign. “But most of us aren't careful about its usage and privacy concerns. The worst mistake made by an iPhone user, when it comes to privacy, is inadequate password habits. Apart from this, many users also allow apps to access locations, contacts, etc without reading their policies which could be a serious threat to their iPhone's security.”
Lee says you can’t expect your iPhone to be safe with a passcode as easy as "0000.”
“A hacker can easily get into your phone when you have a poor passcode and steal your personal data in a blink, thus, comprising your privacy,” Lee says. “If you have somehow not fallen in the hands of cyber culprits yet, switch your password from a four-digit numerical code to a six or maybe eight-digit code. If you are more comfortable with numerical pins, make sure the combination of digits is not your birthday or marriage anniversary or anything that could be easily guessed. Come up with a unique combination. However, alphabetical passwords are much safer than numerical passcodes and should be combined with symbols and punctuations for better security.”
You can also use a password management system to creates lengthy, complicated, unique passwords for you and then recalls them so that you don’t have to.
And while you are changing and upgrading passwords, tech experts say to keep another feature in mind: Airdrop.
Tech Security Expert Eric Florence at SecurityTech says he both enjoys and is critical of using the Airdrop function when using an Apple device. “Obviously, it makes sharing and sending information with others as easy as tapping on their icon and them accepting your request to share said file,” Florence says. “However, recently, it has been found that Airdrop can actually be used to obtain your information if you set it to share with only your contacts. Due to the way in which Apple’s application verifies you and the other person know each other by using your personal information, a stranger wanting that information can pull it as your phone attempts to verify you know each other. Personally, I’ve always had my doubts, as a cybersecurity analyst, of NFC-like technology used to share and swap information with. So my number one recommendation for Apple users right now is to disable the Airdrop function, at least until Apple gets around to updating and patching out the security issue.”
