Four easy ways to keep your smart phone safe

From social networking to online banking, there are mobile apps for nearly everything you want to do. But when you install a mobile app, you need to exercise as much caution as when you download software for your computer.

You probably store a lot of personal and financial information on your smart phone that you would not want revealed if it is lost or stolen.

Here are four tips from Microsoft Safety and Security Center on ways that you can help increase mobile phone safety.

1. Protect your phone with a password or Personal Identification Number (PIN). If you use your phone to access your company’s email or intranet, they probably require that you protect it with a password or PIN. For more information on how to choose a good password for your phone, computer, or online accounts, visit Microsoft’s Create strong passwords page.
2. Be careful when you install apps on your phone. No matter what kind of phone you have, install apps from a trusted source. For a Windows Phone, you can only install apps from Marketplace. This ensures that any app you install has been digitally signed, which reduces your risk and increases phone safety. (This is the same model Apple uses with their iPhone—however, the Android phone, from Google, does not follow this model.)
3. Install updates for your phone. Just as you do on your computer, install all updates for your phone and for the apps on your phone.
4. Make sure your phone has a feature that helps you find it if you lose it or if it is stolen. Use a “find my phone” feature that allows you to find a lost phone, lock it remotely, and also wipe it remotely so that no one can get access to the information you have stored on it. If your phone does not include this feature, download an application that will help you find a lost phone.

No matter what kind of phone you have, always install apps from a trusted source.