Another new disaster for users is a forgotten smartphone. As this type of phone is typically full of valuable private information, some \u201cadvanced\u201d thieves not only resell these stolen devices, but scan their memory in search of useful data like passwords and mobile banking codes\/apps.<\/p>\n
One answer for all troubles<\/b>
\nThere are a lot of threats to your information, but it\u2019s possible to develop protections for each like by isolating your home PC from strangers and minors and using a PIN on your phone lock screen, etc.<\/p>\n
There is also a more versatile way \u2013 to make information readable only by a legitimate owner. All those awkward moments and mishaps might be avoided if private information is stored in an encrypted form.<\/p>\n
You encounter encryption even when you don\u2019t think about it when you\u2019re checking Gmail or banking via HTTPS or calling your friend using a popular GSM cellular network. But we want to concentrate on another important aspect \u2013 encrypting the data stored on your computer or smartphone.<\/p>\n
What is encryption<\/b>
\nEncryption is the process of transforming information in such a way that an unauthorized third party cannot read it; a trusted person can decrypt data and access it in its original form though. There are a lot of popular encryption\/decryption methods, but the key to security is not a proprietary algorithm. The most important thing is keeping the encryption key (password) a secret so only trusted parties know it.<\/p>\n
It is important to distinguish encoding from encryption. Encoding also transforms information, but it\u2019s typically performed for the convenience of storage or transmission, not keeping secrets. Widely known encoding methods are Morse code and binary encoding for computer storage.<\/i><\/p>\n Your digital locker<\/b> Any person that has access to your PC can see and even steal (copy) a container file, but it won\u2019t really help the thief to access your information. Only random characters are inside this file and it can take years to find the password able to transform this file full of garbage to a disk with readable files.<\/p>\n Of course, you have to follow some simple rules to make an encrypted container an effective protection:<\/p>\n * Your encryption key (password) is the only protection against others. You have to make it long, complicated and hard to guess. Here are our tips on making good password<\/a>.<\/p>\n * You have to store all your private information on the encrypted drive.<\/p>\n * Any person that knows the password can read all files stored. If you have different types of information and want to make it accessible to different users, you can create multiple containers with different passwords.<\/p>\n * This is very important! Don\u2019t keep your encrypted drive mounted. If you do, anyone can steal your files as if they are from an ordinary disk. Mount your encrypted drive only when working with important data and dismount immediately after finishing your job.<\/p>\n * If a container file is somehow damaged, all files stored will be lost. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to backup<\/a> container files often.<\/p>\n * Use total protection of your computer \u2013 we suggest Kaspersky PURE<\/a> \u2013 to protect your encryption password from trojans and keyloggers<\/a>. An active keylogger diminishes your encryption efforts.<\/p>\n Smartphone safety<\/b>![\"pure\"](\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2013\/05\/05113630\/pure.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe most convenient solution to keeping files encrypted is the creation of an encrypted vault, also known as a container. When mounted, it\u2019s visible in the system as a separate disk drive. You can save or copy any files on it and use it just like your USB stick. The important difference is that a physical container is a big file on your hard drive, and you access it via special software like Kaspersky PURE<\/a>.\u00a0 Any file you save to this special drive will be encrypted \u201con the fly\u201d and saved to one big container file.<\/p>\n
\nIn trying to protect users data from smartphone theft, mobile OS vendors have developed encryption functions. Important information is kept in an encrypted form and is decrypted each time a user inputs his PIN to unlock his device. Apple doesn\u2019t allow users to manipulate encryption settings, but a lot of information is encrypted when you activate the passcode protection<\/a>. There is a full content encryption<\/a> option in the Android security settings, and it makes all user data inaccessible without a password. To ensure maximum protection we recommend using recent versions of mobile OS \u2013 iOS 6.1+ and Android 4.1+.<\/p>\n
![\"android\"](\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2013\/05\/05113629\/android.png\")
<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0![\"android](\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2013\/05\/05113628\/android-settings.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n