6 tips to keep your smartphone from being hacked

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Follow these 6 tips to keep your smartphone secure and private

The rising hack attacks have put your smartphone at risk. In honor of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, AT&T has put together a list of tips to help keep your smartphone from being hacked.

As cybersecurity threats continue to increase, it’s possible that your device could be affected with a virus or malware that could give hackers access to your personal or private information, AT&T said.

To help keep your device secure, AT&T put together these tips:

• It’s important to keep your device software up to date. The latest software updates include the best available protections to help defend against these viruses.
• Regularly back up your data and device to avoid any information loss.
• Download apps only from trustworthy sources. Using alternatives to your device’s pre-loaded application store can increase the risk of downloading an application that includes a virus.
• To avoid having your personal, financial, or medical information compromised, use multiple layers of authentication (passwords, icons, usernames, and security questions) to protect transactions and avoid anyone accessing your account.
• Keep your passcodes private, and use more complex passwords to avoid others easily guessing. Finally and most important, watch your statements closely and report suspicious activity immediately.
• To help stay safe online, keep security in mind when using your device and think twice before opening an email or a link that you’re not familiar with. Enticing links to viruses and destructive software (called malware) can be transmitted through text messaging from unknown numbers.