Put a PIN on It

Beyonce sings about “if you like it you better put a ring on it” [her finger], but I find that slogan can work (with a slight change) for your personal information on your mobile phones and tablets. So I prefer the “if you like it you better put a PIN on it,” referring to having a personal identification number (PIN) or passcode to lock your smartphone or tablet.

Last year, Apple reported half of iPhone users don’t lock their iPhones, and in another study, McAfee and OnePoll found that over 30% of people still don’t have a PIN or passcode on their smartphone or tablet. So why is this such a big deal?

Your device and the private data it holds are very, very attractive to thieves and hackers. Yet, most of us don’t protect our smartphones or tablets—and the private information they contain—anywhere near as well as we do our wallets and PCs. By not protecting your mobile devices, you could be exposing yourself to financial fraud, identity theft and privacy loss.

And these days, privacy matters more than ever. As we become more and more dependent on our digital devices and having our personal information available on cloud (stored on the Internet), we come more vulnerable.

With today being Data Privacy Day, it’s a good time to review your privacy settings and practices. To stress the importance of privacy, McAfee announced a new push for consumers called “Crack the Pin,” to encourage people to take simple steps toward privacy everywhere by locking, tracking, and encrypting their devices.

Here are some tips to remember:

• Put a PIN on all your mobile devices (and don’t use easy ones like 1234 or 1111)
• Consider not sharing your PIN/password—this might be a tough one, but in the long run it will save you from possible heartache.
• Never use the “remember me” function on your apps or mobile web browser, and take care to log out of your accounts
• Use a mobile security product like McAfee Mobile Security that protects your privacy or McAfee LiveSafe that protects all your smartphones, tablets, PCs and Macs.
• Stay educated on the latest ways to protect your mobile device.