- [Narrator] Mobile devices are a common part of daily life.
We rely upon our smartphones and tablets
for everything from routine checking of our email
to online banking and business applications.
Mobile devices are not just a convenience,
they're a gateway to very sensitive information,
and we must protect them with strong security controls.
Let's take a look at several of the basic
mobile device security controls
that you can put in place
to protect your sensitive information.
First, every mobile device should be protected
with one or more access control mechanisms.
The most common of these
is the use of a passcode.
Many devices default to a four-digit code,
but this does not provide very strong security.
You should protect your mobile devices
with strong passwords just like you would
on a computer or online account.
Both iOS and Android allow you to change
from the default four-digit pin
to a strong password.
Of course, passwords are inconvenient,
especially when you make them complex.
It's difficult to enter an alphanumeric password
on a mobile device.
For this reason, iOS devices offer
Apple's Touch ID technology
that lets you use biometric fingerprint authentication
to access your device without entering a password.
This technology is not as common
on Android devices yet
but is starting to appear there as well.
It's also important to encrypt the data
stored on mobile devices
in case the device is lost or stolen.
Both Apple and Android devices
now automatically encrypt the contents
of devices when you enable password protection.
This feature became the default
on Android devices beginning with the Gingerbread
operating system and on Apple devices
beginning with iOS 8.
You'll also want the ability to remove
the contents of your device over the network
if you lose it and it falls into the wrong hands.
This technology, known as remote wiping,
is available for both Android and iOS devices.
Here's a screenshot of the remote wiping option
built into Apple's Find My iPhone website.
It's important to remember
that you'll only be able to wipe a device
if it's connected to a network.
This is not a foolproof technology.
Mobile devices should also be set
to lock the screen automatically
after a period of inactivity
and to lock out users who attempt
to enter an incorrect passcode too many times.
These are some of the basic security features
that you should enable on your mobile devices.
We'll cover more advanced mobile security issues
in the next few videos.