-Nay-sayers said: Although we can remotely track and remotely erase them, our programs do not protect mobile devices since manufacturers, especially Apple, block protection tools.
-Two of the companies said and even demonstrated how their tools protect mobile devices against everything from malware, such as the infamous Flexi-Spy spyware, to people attempting to break in and steal private information. Additionally, the tools can even protect devices if a user connects at a coffee shop or other public network.

The latter offerings are best. The protection software is available for people in companies, but not for families. If you want to protect your family, you will need to pretend you are a small company and buy a minimum number of licenses to purchase the tools.

Expect more details soon. For now, be excited to know that finally some security tools effectively protect mobile devices.

The post How to Best Protect Your Mobile Devices appeared first on Foster Institute.

Your iPhone and iPad will prompt you to upgrade to the new iOS 11 soon. Having the most recent version of iOS is one strategy for being secure. Like Google does with the Android OS, Apple focuses on keeping the newest iOS free from security vulnerabilities.

But, with Apple’s new iOS 11, you need to be aware of a feature that might cause you to believe you are safe from Wi-Fi attacks when you are not.

Mobile devices are vulnerable to Wi-Fi attacks, and people who are serious about the security of their phone or tablet choose to turn off Wi-Fi except when they are at their office, home, or somewhere else they know they want to use W-Fi.

In the new iOS, turning off Wi-Fi in the Control Center does not really turn off Wi-Fi. Apple says this is a feature that keeps you from losing connectivity with Wi-Fi devices like an Apple TV or a Pen. But the practice of Apple leaving Wi-Fi on without your knowledge has created some discontent in some of us who want to help you be as secure as you want to be.

If you turn off Wi-Fi in the Control Center, your device will indeed disconnect online connections to Wi-Fi networks, at least temporarily, so it appears to work.

But Apple says that, as soon as the user walks or drives to a new location, the auto-join feature will turn itself back on without notifying or asking the user’s permission. I tried that, turning off Wi-Fi in my Control Center, and then drove a few miles just to see. To my happy surprise, the Wi-Fi did not re-enable. However, a little time later in my office, I noticed that the Wi-Fi had turned itself on again on its own.

Apple also says that auto-join will come on again automatically at 5 am. Sure enough, I turned off Wi-Fi in the Control Center at night, and when I checked the icon in the Control Center at 5:15am, the Wi-Fi was re-enabled.

You can read about this unexpected feature, on Apple’s own website: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208086

You will be OK, as long as you know that if you want to turn off Wi-Fi, you have to go to the settings menu and turn Wi-Fi off there.

Please forward this to anyone you know who knows that turning off the Wi-Fi on their phone can increase their safety from attackers. Help them know that the only way to turn off Wi-Fi is to go to settings, not to the easy to reach control center.

The post New iPhone and iPad iOS 11 Can Quietly Override Your Attempt to Be Secure appeared first on Foster Institute.

Gaining access to your account can provide everything from photos stored in your phone, to the passwords of Wi-Fi access points to which you’ve connected to in the past. That is very concerning.

When attackers know your browsing history, your email messages, your past search terms and the links you’ve clicked, they can use that information to perform very effective attacks tailored to trick you and the members in your company. With knowledge of your passwords, they can wreak all kinds of havoc.

Go get an idea of the kind of data that is stored in the cloud and is potentially accessible to attackers who use the right tools, see google dot com /policies/privacy/

Additionally, there are tools available, such as cloud explorer, that make it easy for even non-technical attackers to conveniently gain access to the sensitive information stored in your phone.

Please forward this to whomever is concerned about their mobile device’s security.

The post Attackers Can Hack Your Phone Without Having Your Phone appeared first on Foster Institute.