2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
There is so much information stored in your iPhone that if it gets to attackers, they will have your whole life in their hands: photos, correspondence, passwords, payment information. iOS has good protection by default, but by following our advice, you can make your smartphone much more secure.
1. Set a lock password
What for?
The lock password is your first line of defense and is very important. Without it, the iPhone cannot be used or even connected to a computer. With it, your contacts, mail, photos and other content are always under lock and key.
How?
If you did not follow the advice of iOS and did not turn on the password immediately upon activating the iPhone, then this can be done in the settings.
Come up with a complex combination of at least 6 numbers, or even better - use numbers interspersed with letters. Discard passwords like 123456, 5525 and the like right away.
What else?
The selection of a combination is complicated by an increase in the waiting time if you enter it incorrectly: after four attempts, you will have to wait a minute, then 5 minutes, then 15 minutes, and finally a whole hour. The very case when time is working for you.
2. Don't use Touch ID
Why?
Touch ID does not replace the password, but only complements it, and even Apple understands this. After a reboot, to confirm payment information, or just after 48 hours of inactivity, a regular password is used, not a biometric sensor. In addition, at any time, instead of Touch ID, you can enter a password, which is what attackers use.
How?
Touch ID works to unlock iPhone and confirm purchases in Apple's digital stores. It is these two toggle switches that you need to turn off.
At the same time, you can delete saved fingerprints by going through each of the points. Just in case.
What else?
Touch ID is convenience, and convenience is always a compromise with security. The iPhone has a consumer-grade biometric sensor that can be easily tricked with baby plasticine or silicone film.
3. Turn on "Find iPhone"
What for?
If you lose your iPhone or get stolen, this great feature will help you find your missing item and increase your chances of getting it back. At the very least, thanks to Find iPhone, you can remotely destroy all your data if you still can't get your smartphone back.
How?
This function is enabled together with the password during the initial setup, but it can be activated at any time from the settings.
The coveted toggle switch is in the iCloud settings. It is also recommended to enable sending device coordinates when the battery is discharged.
What else?
In addition to remote data destruction, the Find iPhone function allows you to put your device into Lost Mode, permanently blocking the re-activation of your smartphone without a password. And this, in turn, reduces the meaning of stealing such an iPhone to almost zero.
4. Restrict access to iPhone from the lock screen
What for?
Even a locked iPhone displays notifications and SMS, calendar events and other important information. All of these things can be interacted with directly from the lock screen, and they are not protected in any way. It's the same story with Siri - anyone can get a bunch of your data from it.
How?
There is a whole section of settings that solves this problem, and it is located in the password settings.
There are five toggle switches for calendar, notifications, Siri, and more. Better to turn them all off.
What else?
The less of your data the iPhone shows, the better. Unblocking it to read a message or use Siri isn't too difficult, trust me.
5. Enable wipe data
What for?
If the password is entered incorrectly several times in a row, a delay is triggered, which, although it will stretch the process of selecting a combination for many months, will still leave it theoretically possible. With Wipe enabled, all content on iPhone will be destroyed after the tenth failed attempt.
How?
One toggle switch. Go to the password settings and just turn on data wiping.
What else?
Be careful with this feature. For example, if you have small children who have access to an iPhone, it is better not to turn it on, otherwise the increased security measures will turn against you.
6. Disable iCloud Auto Backup
What for?
ICloud backups are insecure. When sent to Apple's servers, they are not encrypted and are available both to the company itself and to any other persons by court order. With local backups in iTunes, the opposite is true: they can be stored in a safe place in encrypted form, and it will be impossible to extract any data from them without a password.
How?
The switch we need is hidden in the iCloud settings. Just turn it off.
What else?
The sensational story about the shooter from San Bernardino was developed only because Apple refused to hack exactly the locked iPhone of the criminal - the company immediately transferred all data from iCloud after the court decision.
7. Check your privacy settings
What for?
Even large corporations do not hesitate to drain personal user data, let alone smaller applications. Now, almost every one of them at the first start asks for access to contacts, calendars, photos, geolocation and other things, and we, without hesitation, allow everything. If you do not want your confidential information to be in the wrong hands, such requests should be taken seriously.
How?
With iOS 8, access to private data is centrally controlled from the privacy settings.
For each data type, all applications and services have their own toggle switch. Walk through them and close access to anything you doubt.
What else?
In the same item ("Settings" → "Privacy" → "Advertising"), you can restrict the tracking of ads and reset the identifier by deleting the collected information about you (age, address, downloads, activity, and more).
8. Disable "Control Center" from the lock screen
What for?
It's simple: through the "Control Center" attackers can turn on airplane mode, and then you will not be able to track where your smartphone is, even if the "Find iPhone" function is enabled.
How?
Go to the settings of the same name and turn off the "On the locked screen" toggle switch.
What else?
In order to cut off the iPhone's connection with the outside world, you can simply turn it off, but in this case, when you turn it on, you will have to enter the lock password, which is not always beneficial to attackers. Until Apple has banned shutting down locked iPhones without entering a password, it's best to disable Control Center on the lock screen.
9. Don't use auto-complete Safari passwords
Why?
Autocomplete is a handy thing, but if your iPhone falls into the hands of fraudsters, they will have all your passwords, credit card details, and other sensitive information.
How?
All the same - find the necessary toggle switches in the depths of Safari settings and get ready to remember all important passwords.
What else?
Entering passwords manually is inconvenient, but safe. Plus, if you use iCloud Keychain, it additionally secures passwords from your Mac and your other devices. As a compromise, you might not turn off AutoFill, but remove any saved passwords from important resources and always enter them manually, preventing Safari from remembering them.
10. Turn on two-step verification for Apple ID and other services
What for?
With this additional security measure, attackers will not be able to gain access to your account data, even if they have a password. The second level of verification in this case is confirmation codes that come to one of your trusted devices in the form of SMS and notifications.
How?
Two-step verification is enabled in your Apple ID settings for this. You will have to answer security questions and follow the wizard's prompts.
Learn more about this at Apple.
What else?
Be sure to save the recovery key that you will be given during setup and keep it in a safe place. If you forget your password or lose access to a trusted device, the recovery key will be the only way to gain access to your account.
Increased security measures make iPhone uncomfortable to use, and vice versa: comfort-enhancing features reduce your security. How to balance between them is up to you. We do not suggest wearing a tin foil hat, but we urge you to listen to at least a few tips from this article. For your own good.
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