As the world goes digital, humans have moved ahead of machines as the top target for cyber criminals. There were 3.8 billion internet users in 2017 (51 percent of the world’s population of 7 billion), up from 2 billion in 2015. We all focus on cybersecurity on our desktops but what about our smart devices? Here are our picks for security apps for your smart phone.
ProtonMail
Keeping your emails strictly private is easy with this app. It supports PGP end-to-end encryption, so only the sender and recipient can read email messages sent with ProtonMail. It’s every bit as clean and easy to use as some of the other best iOS email apps, and it’s completely free. Developed by CERN scientists after a big donation campaign and hosted in Switzerland, this is an app you can trust. It also allows you to set self-destruct timers on messages and send password-protected, encrypted messages to normal email addresses.
1Password
Remembering all your passwords for different accounts is one of the major challenges of modern life. We know complex passwords are more secure and that we should never re-use the same password, but how do we keep track of them all? This app helps you generate and manage your passwords, keeping them locked in a securely encrypted vault. All you need is your master password. The first 30 days are free, then it costs $4 per month for a single account, or you can opt for a family account at $7 per month, which makes sharing passwords nice and easy.
CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost is a solid VPN service that offers several options to secure your internet access. First, it protects your Wi-Fi, automatically securing your Wi-Fi connections. The app encrypts all your emails, as well as Messenger, Skype, Viber, and any other messaging app you care to use. Your passwords, payments, and banking are all secured. Not only will it work on Wi-Fi but it will also secure your connections while you’re on 4G or LTE.
You can select from more than 1,000 servers in more than 30 countries. If you’re abroad, you’ll be glad to know that it also gives you secure access to streaming services. The service supports PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, and OpenVPN protocols and offers up to 256-bit encryption. CyberGhost has a decent privacy policy and doesn’t log your activity or store personal data.
CyberGhost VPN has a premium subscription plan that costs $10 per month or $30 per year. It is also compatible with Windows, MacOS, and Android.
Sophos Mobile Security
There are a lot of really good Android security apps out there, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that offers this many features, scores a 100 percent detection rate for malware in real-time, and costs absolutely nothing.
Sophos Mobile Security has been a top performer for months, consistently boasting a 100 percent detection rate for Android malware according to AV-Test. Unfortunately, it did stumble in the most recent test by returning a number of false positives, incorrectly showing warnings about legitimate software.
It offers robust scanning covering installation, existing apps, and storage media. You also get an impressive package of extras including loss and theft protection, with support for wipe, lock, alarm, locate, and more via SMS. There is also web filtering, password protection for apps, spam blocking, privacy and security advice, and a few other tools.
It’s not the prettiest app and the false positives are a concern, but Sophos retains its place as a top Android security app because it’s genuinely free with a solid list of fully accessible features and without any advertising.
For more information on solutions for running your businesses’ technology more efficiently, visit our website or contact Megan Meisner at mmeisner@launchpadonline.com or 813 448-7100 x210.