Hope you are not exposing your smartphones to these risks?

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: How soon is it before you replace your old smartphone for a new one? If you are not following these tips, you may open your smartphone to malware risks and retire your smartphone sooner than you would like to:

1) If you remain logged in to a shopping website, or frequently watch a particular content from a specific website, you are more prone to phishing attacks.

It is safer to shop through an app of the ecommerce website. And make sure that you log out after completing your transaction. To say that avoid watching content on unsafe websites on phone would be no brainer.

2) While downloading free apps, pay attention to the kind of permissions sought, the number of times an app has been installed, its reviews, and the general reputation of the app or the developer. 

This way you would minimise the possibilities of data theft. Most malicious apps( Android or iOs) come from outside the Play Store, so if you downloaded a pirated app from a shady website, you should worry more about the intrusion of a malware into your phone.

3. If you leave your Bluetooth in 'on' mode all the time, greater are the chances of your data or file getting corrupted. It is an open invitation to stealth attacks on your phone.

The Bluetooth in ''on'' mode would not only drain the battery, your movements also become trackable!

4. Leaving your phone’s Wi-Fi on means allowing hackers bombard your device with malware, steal data or spy on you. And you will come to know of it until it is too late!