Worried
that your handset is exposed to malware or hackers? Here are the apps that can
help
For many
of us, our smartphones carry our whole world -contacts, messages, payment
information, eclectic music collection among other things. So, it's hard to understate
the importance of keeping everything secure. Certain apps can make a big
difference -protecting data and securing your communications.Here are six worth
installing:
For
handling all your passwords -LastPass (iOS and Android)
In these
password-heavy times, having an app to manage all your login details can make a
significant difference to your productivity and security.Enter LastPass, which
can safely store passwords, shopping profiles, sensitive personal data, and
more besides. and more besides.All you need to remember is one LastPass
password, and if you're stuck for new combinations for new sites, there's even
a password generator included for you.
For
securing all your IMs -Signal (iOS and Android)
Signal
takes security more seriously than some of its better-known rivals. It brings
to the table all the essential IM features you are going to need: group chats,
VoIP phone calls, read receipts and more.
There's
also end-to-end encryption, which means the only people who can read your
missives are those receiving them. So would-be snoopers can't take a look at
your chats, even employees of Signal itself.
For
snoop-free browsing -Orbot (Android)
You have
your reasons for browsing the websites you browse, and maybe you'd like to keep
those to yourself. Orbot brings the power of anonymous browsing and messaging
to your Android device, tapping into the open source Tor network to make sure
all data is encrypted, anonymised and bounced around various locations
worldwide.Orbot sits underneath your other apps, like Facebook or the phone's
browser, and anonymises the data being transmitted.
For
snoop-free browsing -Onion Browser (iOS)
Apple fans
aren't bereft of Tor browsing options either. For those of you on iPads and
iPhones, one of the best Torpowered options is the Onion Browser. What it lacks
in the aesthetics of its design, it makes up for in the extra layers of
security it offers versus the built in iOS browser.
The Onion
Browser also keeps your browsing encrypted, anonymous, and difficult to track,
though in this case the connection is limited to this browser rather than being
applied system-wide.
For
securing your phone on coffee house WiFi Opera VPN (iOS and Android)
If you
want to secure more than just the browser and specific apps on your phone then
you'll need a VPN (Virtual Private Network). It keeps people from snooping or
breaking in. Some mobile VPN apps are unreliable and difficult to work, but not
Opera VPN, which also happens to be free to use. The app not only helps keep
you safe online, it can block ad trackers (and report on their actions) and
allows you to spoof your location too.
For
securely deleting files -CCleaner (Android)
CCleaner,
one of the popular computer cleaning applications, is now available for Android
devices, so you have got no excuse for having junk data hanging around on your
phone.In terms of staying safe and protected on your phone, CCleaner's main
benefit is going to be tidying up cached files, browsing histories, and
downloaded files that you might not want other people peeking at.
Source: THE ECONOMIC TIMES-14th February,2017
