One of the richest men in the world, Jeff Bezos, had his iPhone hacked through a popular messaging app. The Saudi Crown Prince is a suspect but has denied any involvement. You might not be as rich as Bezos or have anything on your phone that Prince Mohammed bin Salman would find particularly interesting, but it doesn’t mean that your phone or other devices aren’t vulnerable. In Bezos’ case, the bulletproof panels in his office and personal security detail couldn’t protect his personal data stored on his iPhone. Too late for him, but here are three steps you can take to protect your data.
Connect to Secure WiFi
Jeff Bezos reportedly spends millions on his personal security, but you don’t have to spend much to protect yourself from being hacked. Office WiFi networks should be secure but watch out if you’re working remotely or on your personal device while out and about. In your home, you can create a complicated router password and change it frequently. If you use your phone on vacation, you can use data or find secure WiFi networks to use.
Don’t open suspicious emails to click on links
In Bezos’ case, it was probably a video file sent to his phone that led to the infection of his device. Avoid pop-up window, links, and attachments from senders you don’t recognize. As a general rule, don’t enter personal or company information in response to an email, pop-up webpage, or link.
Consider Having Separate Work and Personal Devices
Compartmentalizing your data could help to keep it safe, or at least mitigate damages in the case of a security breach. One way to do this is to have both a work and personal device. While many companies have comprehensive security software, one employee who clicks on a corrupt link could lead to a company-wide data breach. Unfortunately at work, the actions of others can affect you as well, so you might take steps to protect your personal data in case of such an event.
It might just take an angry Jeff Bezos and his vast fortune to bring about legal and computing changes that could help protect everyone. But in the meantime, be aware and take steps to protect yourself. We live in a cyber world where automation is everywhere. And while automatic bill payments and bank apps are helpful, they’re no substitute for a person who can look at the big picture when it comes to your finances. At Epstein & White, we offer complimentary in person reviews so that we can introduce yourself and learn more about your unique financial needs. Click here to sign up for a no cost, no obligation financial review.
