Maybe it’ll never happen — but prepare as if it will.
As more and more of our digital life moves online, much of it ends up in our pockets in our mobile phones or smartphones.
And while hacking and malware make the headlines, the biggest risk is something much more mundane: losing your phone or having it stolen.
Let’s prepare for that.
Losing your phone
Losing your phone can mean losing access to your digital life. Lock it with a PIN or biometrics, turn on tracking, and back up your data to the cloud. Set up recovery info for accounts with two-factor authentication. Take simple steps now to prevent a disaster later.
Why your phone needs special attention
Unlike our desktop computers and more so than our laptops, phones are small, portable, and all too easy to misplace.
Not only are more people doing more things with their mobile devices, but many have only a mobile device. This means that this small, easy-to-lose device carries potential access to your entire digital life.
Everything. In the hands of a stranger who picks it up is one thing, but in the hands of a thief who’s explicitly stolen it? That’s a whole ‘nother matter.
It’s critical to plan ahead before something happens.
All it takes is using two simple features. Additionally, back up your phone and use two-factor authentication for important accounts.
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Lock
First things first: set a PIN, configure biometrics, or whatever else is offered by your phone’s operating system to lock the phone when not in use. Make sure you have a short auto-lock time, after which one of those security techniques is required to gain access to the contents of your device.
Locking your phone:
- Keeps casual snoopers or annoying “friends” out.
- Frustrates thieves or hackers. The technology is good enough that these locks are almost impossible to bypass.
- Prevents USB data access even if the phone is connected to a computer.
In addition, many phones can be configured to erase all data after too many failed PIN attempts.
Remote track and wipe
Make sure the Android Device Manager or iPhone’s “Find My” feature is enabled and working. Using them, you can:
- Locate your phone using GPS.
- Remotely wipe the device if needed.
This does require that location services are turned on.
There are also third-party tracking and management tools like Prey, Cerberus, and others that may offer more robust control than built-in tools.
Backing up
So many people keep their photos on their phone and only on their phone. As a result, when their phone gets lost or stolen, the photos are lost and gone forever.
It’s about more than just photos, of course; this also applies to whatever data is stored only on your device.
Tools like OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud, and others all offer automatic cloud backups for your photos and videos. I strongly recommend you choose one and make sure it’s backing up your information.
Fortunately, most email/contacts/calendar apps are simply interfaces to online services where the information is kept. Make sure you can access all those on the web without your phone. If you find you cannot, investigate tools or alternatives to back them up as well.
Related
I Lost My Phone With My Second Factor for Authentication. How Do I Recover?
Losing your phone can lock you out of your accounts if it’s your second factor for authentication. Here’s how I recovered while traveling, the backup options that saved me, and the steps you can take now so you’re never stuck without access.#145351
Two-factor authentication
I strongly recommend you enable two-factor authentication for all accounts that support it. In most cases, that means using your mobile device to receive a text message or running a TOTP1 app.
So what happens if your device is lost or stolen?
When you set up two-factor, it will ask you to configure account recovery information for the account. Do it. At a bare minimum, make certain to save any recovery codes provided by the service.
If your 2FA is SMS text message-based, be prepared to reach out to your mobile provider to port your number to a replacement device.
The aftermath
Here are a few steps to take after you discover your phone is lost or stolen.
- Contact your mobile provider to suspend service or report theft. Ideally, keep your mobile number so it can be transferred to a replacement device, thus preserving your SMS-based two-factor and other phone-number-related activities.
- If you suspect account compromise, change passwords. This typically shouldn’t be needed, particularly if you’ve properly locked your device, but it’s worth keeping an eye out.
- Perhaps report the theft to the police. Some carriers may require this for insurance claims.
Do this
We don’t think about it often, but our phones hold a tremendous amount of personal information and are often the gateway to accessing even more online. Setting up security is critical to protect you.
At a minimum, set up a PIN now. If biometrics is easier for you, set up a face or fingerprint unlock. Regardless, do something so that someone coming across your device doesn’t have instant access to everything.
Then explore device tracking and remote wiping. It’s unlikely you’ll ever need the latter, though it’s reassuring should you ever need it. The former? Well, that’s more often about finding which room of your house you left the device in. Even so, it’s a valuable safety feature.
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Podcast audio
Footnotes & References
1: Time-based One Time Password, aka “Google Authenticator Compatible” second-factor app.
Loosely based on a previous video: Are You Ready to Lose Your Phone?
