Are Your Kids Safe From Mobile Security Threats?

Let’s face it. Kids will be kids and they will demand what their friends get (those spoiled kids seem to have millionaire parents who delight in buying them the latest gadgets). And so parents like me are badgered day and night for a wee little smartphone, so small and sleek, and yet so full of features and surprises! We give in to their cherubic faces-turned-woebegone-with deprivation and agree to explore the latest models.

After we have recuperated from the shock of the hefty prices, we pose all sorts of questions regarding data safety and anti-theft safeguards. We secretly hope to wriggle out of the forced purchase, as cellphones do not have adequate protection like the PC.

The Q1 2011 threat report from McAfee Lab is testimony to this which states that the January- March quarter recorded the highest activity in malware history. Android has quickly become the third-most-targeted platform on the mobile front when viewed from a historical perspective. Malware threats to the mobile platform continue to evolve in sophistication and functionality at a pace that in many ways eclipses that of PC-based malware.

There are many reports suggesting that India is expected to have ‘billion plus’ mobile users by 2015. Considering that a considerable population of this will be children, it is important that there are checks in place to safeguard our vulnerable kids from rising mobile threats.

Last month, McAfee announced the addition of McAfee Mobile Security and McAfee WaveSecure Tablet Edition to its mobile security products. These not only help to keep data safe on mobile phones but also allow tracing of lost devices, remote erasure and backup of of data!

How does McAfee Mobile Security help you? You can access the following features and functionality in a single download:

• Back-up and restore data to help protect sensitive information and irreplaceable photos. The data on a stolen phone can also be backed up before its memory is erased
• Protection against misuse (such as excessive phone charges) as well as safeguarding personal data with remote locking capabilities
• Audible alarm helps in finding the device or disrupting theft
• Remote data removal from a lost or stolen device via the McAfee Web portal, mobile Web portal or via a SMS message from a buddy device
• 24/7 real-time anti-malware protection against viruses, worms and spyware, Trojan horses and battery sapping malware
• SiteAdvisor software for Android provides colour coded site ratings appear right next to the search results, which protects users from malicious Web sites, phishing, identity theft, and credit card fraud when shopping online

This means that if your kid loses the smartphone then McAfee Mobile Security will help you access an online portal so that you can use GPS to locate the lost phone. You can also send coded text messages to the phone to activate an alarm, or lock out the phone from unauthorized SIM card change. For added security, you can remotely erase confidential data stored in the phone memory! Now isn’t that savvy?

There is another point to keep in mind. Often we allow our kids to use our smartphones to play games, check mails, and/or access social networking sites. They may inadvertently download some malware by downloading a spurious application, leading to lot of unnecessary data loss, trouble, and frustration. Take my advice; install mobile security software on your own phones first.

Anindita

Tags: how to talk to kids, how to talk to teens, McAfee Mobile Security, mcafee wavesecure, mobile security, teens online safety