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10 tips to avoid being a victim of a spyware

December 4, 2018 by HushApp Team Leave a Comment

10 tips to avoid being a victim of a spyware

Did you know that there are applications that allow you to spy on your mobile devices? Yes, they are called spyware or software to spy on devices. They are applications that can be downloaded by anyone for free with a simple search on the Internet. All you need to do is simply install it on your victim’s device and begin spying!

The capability of these applications might be shocking to learn. They can access all the conversations that are carried out by WhatsApp or other social media, intervene the microphone of your device, know the geolocation, and even activate remote camera to see what happens around the phone at all times.

Imagine a scenario where a guy gives his girlfriend a cell phone, but without informing her, installed a spy application. Through this spyware they can monitor all online activity without the user being aware. Despite this being an extreme example,  in general, people should be aware of their privacy and understand how easily it can be compromised

These types of applications are usually offered to parents to “monitor” their children’s mobile devices, or for a boss who wants to monitor employees. This can undoubtedly generate a great debate regarding privacy.

The only thing we can do is protect our devices from these type of applications, and here we explain how.

How to avoid being spied on with spyware applications?

  1. There are simple signals that can alert you if something strange happens on your cell phone. One of them is the performance of your battery, although it can be due to many causes, if you detect an unusual battery consumption, it is possible that there is an app of this type.
  2. Check the list of applications, if there is any unknown, You can uninstall if you do not need it.
  3. Do not lend your cell phone to strangers, although it seems obvious, it needs to be said. A spyware can be installed very quickly and silently.
  4. One of the easiest and most effective ways is to install anti-spyware applications, these will allow you to detect if the device has installed malicious software. You can also install an antivirus, some computers already come with anti-spyware installed.
  5. Only install applications that come from official stores.
  6. If you already have the suspicion that you are being spied on and you have not managed to eliminate the spyware, a preventive measure is to have the device in airplane mode which will cancel any type of connection to the outside.
  7. Avoid using public Wi-fi: These are an open door for an intruder to access your information. If you need to, here are ways to use a public network more securely.
  8. Check the permission you are giving to each application: Check what permission you give to each application, and if you really need access to the camera or microphone.
  9. If after you have performed all the previous actions you still have suspicions that you are being spied on, you can restore the phone to the factory state.
  10. If the situation is already delicate enough, it will be necessary to report the incident to the police.

Avoid spies of flesh and blood

Even when we apply all security measures to protect your mobile devices, there will always be “spies of flesh and blood”, those who like to take a look (without permission) and review the information in your cell phone. And for this type of spy there is no anti-spy app or sanction.

But if you can make their life more difficult in a very simple way, add and combine more complex authentication patterns, use the actions that are recorded in the device’s sensors as fingerprint or facial recognitions, among other things that hinder access from an intruder trying to spy on your device.

Finally, encrypt your files, keep them safe in applications such as HushApp, so you can access and view the contents on your cell phone. Your files will remain protected within your HushBox.  

Filed Under: HushApp Tips Tagged With: anti-virus, applications, cybersecurity, encryption, HushApp, mobile devices, spy, spyware

17 essential tips for parents on Cybersecurity for children

August 6, 2018 by HushApp Team Leave a Comment

17 essential tips for parents on Cybersecurity for children

There is no doubt today that children have the ability to use electronic devices and the internet, even the smallest kids already know how to play their favorite online games. This opens a debate among parents about what age should kids start using technology and how much time they should spend on it. Although there is no precise answer to these questions, here, parents can learn some tips about Cybersecurity for children.

According to a research by Norton, 87% of Spanish parents consider it risky to allow their children to use computers and mobile devices without any supervision; in fact, among the 3 biggest concerns are: children can suffer cyber bullying (92%), spend too much time in front of the screen (88%) and download malicious programs or applications (88%).

Despite the active awareness of these latent dangers, statistics say that most parents are not adjusting their parenting.  The study found that 68% do not limit access to certain websites or applications, 19% allows their children to buy online without surveillance and 57% allows them to use the internet without supervision.

Children on the Internet have a lack of supervision due to many reasons, one being parents not intervening to check the safety of their children.

Therefore, we invite you to read the following basic cybersecurity tips, which you can apply to control and protect your children about the dangers they are exposed to on the web.

Cybersecurity for children: tips for parents and children

  1. Limits how long your children can spend connected to the web, set those limits and make sure they are met.
  2. Watch the pages they visit, who they communicate with and what other actions they do on the web. And if you detect any access to some undesirable content for their age, you can talk with them about the subject and block access to the web or game.
  3. Recommend your kids to not use their real name on the web and never give personal information, such as phone numbers, your address, their school, or where they will go on vacation, etc. to strangers.
  4. Establish a VPN connection in your home to ensure that no online predator will have access into your system.
  5. Teach children to create unique passwords that they can remember or keep in safe places.
  6. It is important for children to understand that the digital world can be as dangerous as the real world. If they are usually taught not to talk to strangers, the same should apply on the web.
  7. Watch who they contact on the web and teach them never to meet a stranger in person they met online.
  8. They should never respond to any threatening messages. Let them know if this happens, they have to discuss it with you or the adult that is in charge.
  9. Try to place the computer in a common area, where you can monitor what they do. This can be challenging by the usage mobile phones or tablets, yet still possible, you have the ability to monitor it other ways.
  10. Bookmark their favorite sites to facilitate access.
  11. Pay attention to any changes or attitudes regarding the time they spend on the web: Do they receive phone calls from people you do not know? Have you noticed any unsolicited gifts that have arrived in the mail? do they not like to talk about their online activities? Although these questions may seem unimportant, they could be signs that your children are being cyber bullied by a criminal.

Cybersecurity for children in Social networks:

12. Show them how to recognize and block unwanted contacts. 

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13. Specify that they must only add contacts from people they already know.

14. Monitor their social networks, check who their friends are and what they publish.

How to use parental control

15. Disable online purchases, or set parental controls on their devices to control they use it.

16. Use applications to monitor what your children do online: what do they download? How much time do they spend connected?

17. You can also configure parental control in browsers to be sure which pages they can enter.

Technology is changing our way of life, therefore, encouraging parents to monitor their children online will allow the child to grow up understanding how to navigate the online world in a safe way. The web can be as dangerous as the real world, however they don’t need to stop enjoying it. The important thing is that parents start to implement this change in their daily lives. Cybersecurity for children is important and if done properly can be hassle free.

Filed Under: HushApp Tips Tagged With: cyber bullying, Cybersecurity for children, Cybersecurity Tips, mobile devices, online games, parental control, password, Social networks, VPN

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