Cyberattacks: Why are smartphones increasingly targeted by cybercriminals?

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting our smartphones: SMS and fraudulent call attacks have a 40% higher success rate than traditional email phishing, according to Verizon.

We use our phones for almost everything: checking our bank accounts, shopping, exchanging messages, storing photos or accessing our personal accounts. This concentration of data also makes smartphones a target for cybercriminals.

A text message that appears to come from your bank, a fake delivery notification or a suspicious app can be enough to expose your data. Here are some good habits to adopt to better protect your smartphone.

Good habits for protecting your smartphone

Whether you have an Android smartphone or an iPhone, some threats remain the same: phishing, fake websites, malicious apps or spyware.

Both systems already include various security measures. Android, for example, has Google Play Protect, while Apple tightly controls the iOS environment. However, this does not mean you can let your guard down.

5 simple habits to adopt

1. Keep your smartphone up to date
Updates regularly fix security vulnerabilities. Enable automatic updates whenever possible.

2. Download your apps from trusted sources
Use official app stores whenever possible and check the permissions requested by an app before installing it.

3. Don’t click on links too quickly
A text message saying that a parcel is being held, an invoice is unpaid or unusual activity has been detected on your account could be a phishing attempt. If in doubt, open the relevant official app or website directly.

4. Protect access to your phone
Use a sufficiently strong passcode and enable facial recognition or fingerprint authentication if your smartphone supports it.

5. Be careful when using public Wi-Fi
For sensitive activities, such as accessing your bank account, use a trusted connection or your mobile network instead.

Even an up-to-date smartphone cannot prevent all phishing attempts.

What if you want additional protection?

Good security practices reduce the risks, but they cannot always detect a fraudulent website before you visit it.

With Net Protect Mobile, Tango adds an extra layer of protection directly at the mobile network level. When a user tries to access a website identified as dangerous, access can be blocked before the website is displayed.

The protection works on both Android and iPhone, without the need to install additional antivirus software.

Net Protect Mobile costs €2/month, with the first month free and no commitment.

What about at home: how can you protect all your devices?

Your smartphone is not the only device that needs protecting. Computers, tablets, gaming consoles and connected devices also use your home Wi-Fi network. Securing your digital life therefore also means protecting your home network.

This is where Net Protect Home comes in, extending protection to devices using your home Internet connection.

This approach complements the protection used on the mobile network with security adapted to your home network.

Protecting children’s digital activities too

Digital safety also means supporting children when they are online. Depending on the child’s age, parental control features can help better manage access to certain content, connection times and device usage.

Combining good security practices, mobile network protection, secure home Wi-Fi and parental control tools provides a more comprehensive approach to digital security for the whole household.
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