Is the information on my iPhone secure?
In today’s digital world, our phones are a portal to everything that is important to us. This is where we keep our most sensitive personal information, access to our financial lives, our photos. Is protecting all this with a four- or six-digit passcode enough?
There have been numerous reports lately of thieves stealing iPhones along with their passcodes. The passcode is the key to the kingdom. With your passcode they can get cash from bank apps, access to your credit cards and more. With that same code they can lock you out of your Apple accounts. Years of photos, notes and messages gone!
Most of us these days use Face ID and Touch ID. This is secure but if they fail or after your phone restarts it asks for the passcode. This code not only unlocks your phone but also authorizes Apple Pay, opens the iCloud Keychain password manager and more. The passcode also enables you to change your Apple ID password.
After reading numerous articles about these issues and taking an extensive Privacy and Security course here is what I would suggest…
Cover your screen in public. Thieves have devised clever ways to learn your passcode. They can film you or watch you from behind when you tap in your code. When you are out and about rely on Face ID or Touch ID whenever possible. Don’t type your code in front of strangers. And it is always a good idea to change that passcode to an alphanumeric passcode, something that is harder for a thief to shoulder surf as you type it in.
In display and brightness settings, set your Auto-Lock to 30 seconds so that your phone is never left unlocked for too long.
Enable additional protection when possible in apps. Some apps, such as Venmo and PayPal will let you add a passcode. Just make sure it is not the same one as your phone.
Use a third party password manager such as 1Password, Dashlane, or Bitwarden for all your sensitive passwords. Your other option is to use a locked note in Notes. Just do not lock the note with your iPhone passcode or use that passcode for your master passcode for the password manager apps. (Write it down and keep it somewhere safe).
Delete photos or scans of sensitive personal information. In your Apple Photos app search terms like "passport", "license", and "SSN". You can keep these photos or scans in a third-party password manager or in a locked note. Just don’t leave them in the Photos app, thieves know how to search for them there.
If your iPhone is stolen sign into iCloud.com on another device as soon as you can. Click Find Devices to remotely wipe your phone. Call your cellular carrier or visit their store to deactivate the stolen phone’s SIM. That way the thief cannot receive any verification codes. Log onto your sensitive accounts such as Google, Venmo, Amazon, etc. to change your passwords.
Other things you can do to enhance the security of your phone:
Use a privacy focused browser and search engine. Safari and Firefox are much better browsers than Chrome (which typically tracks your location and builds an invasive ad profile). DuckDuckGo is a search engine that you can choose to use on your phone that will not track you. You have a choice! You do not have to use Google.
I hope I have helped make you more aware of how you can better protect the information you keep on your device. Just remember, if you find all this a little too overwhelming or you don’t know where to start, I am always here to help.