Imagine this scenario – you wake up and grab your phone to check the weather for the day. But instead of the usual weather app greeting, you discover a ransom demand for $500 to regain access to your device and the sensitive personal data inside.
As jolting as this scenario sounds, the FBI reveals over 4,000 such mobile ransomware attacks now occur daily. That translates to a shocking average of over 1.5 million smartphone users extorted every year.
And ransomware represents merely one of many data security threats now preying upon the vulnerable personal information housed on our smartphones.
With mobile devices now functioning as central hubs for managing:
- Financial accounts
- Medical records
- Retail purchases
- Travel reservations
- Home utilities and security systems
- Workplace access privileges
The risks have reached untenable levels regarding inadequate safeguards for using smartphones as people‘s primary computing platform in 2022.
Consider these additional disturbing data points:
- Over 25% of consumers do not use a passcode or biometric authentication to lock their devices from intruders
- 78% of smartphone users store credit/debit card information directly on their mobile device apps
- In the US last year, smartphone users suffered over 5 million instances of identity theft aided by unsecured devices
And those represent only confirmed cases. Various studies estimate another 50-70% of smartphone data breaches go undetected entirely.
So citizens essentially face a choice – either confront the new reality that mobile usage represents a continually eroding risk to your family‘s financial, medical and overall data privacy spheres daily…
Or take decisive action via comprehensive mobile security protocols protecting what now lives as your most precious digital asset – a smartphone likely housing every essential facet of your modern identity and access to critical infrastructure necessary for maintaining even basic life management needs in 2022.
This guide focuses on the latter path.
Assessing the Key Risks
Before examining helpful solutions, understanding the risks proves critical for appreciating why smartphone protections now warrant your utmost attention…
Figure 1 – Steady rise in US consumers suffering mobile data breaches since 2018 resulting in identity theft occurrences
As depicted in Figure 1 above, within merely a four year stretch, the instances of Americans losing control of their mobile data – including full names, birth dates, home addresses, Social Security numbers – has doubled. That pace works out to an additional 5.5 million smartphone users violated every year.
Driving this surge are both the soaring reliance upon mobile platforms for managing essential facets of people‘s lives coupled with most smartphone owners failing to utilize even basic available protections consistently.
Armed with a wealth of hijacked personal data to leverage in black market circles online, thieves now increasingly:
- Open fraudulent lines of credit under stolen identities leaving victims to deal with devastated credit scores
- File fake tax returns to steal owed refunds before the rightful recipient submits their documentation
- Gain access to existing financial accounts by resetting passwords using compromised security questions to steal funds directly
These breaches ultimately impose immense financial and psychological distress on households already overburdened navigating inflationary economic hardships and anxieties in a post-pandemic climate.
Figure 2: The average per capita costs of a data breach continue rising, now 27% higher for incidents involving mobile devices
So the fiduciary and security liability risks to consumers failing to take reasonable steps to secure their mobile data heightens urgency daily.
The good news? Solutions exist right now empowering citizens to lock down mobile access to this vital personal information cost effectively. Which brings us the primary purpose of this guide – examining efficient, proven security applications protecting both Android and Apple iOS smartphones from various compromise vectors targeting privately-stored sensitive data.
Cutting Through the Confusion: Top 5 Mobile Security Apps
As threats have mounted against smartphones, numerous security companies have raced products to market aiming to capitalize on this emerging risk category. But not all solutions warrant your precious budget nor deliver truly robust protections.
The key to avoiding option paralysis involves focusing first on vetting an app‘s core capabilities defending against malware, viruses, phishing tactics, uncontrolled network connections along with any combination of those attack avenues.
Ideally, set protections should also entail measures allowing remote locking or wiping of devices if fallen into the wrong hands. Monitoring unauthorized access attempts to cloud-stored backups of phones proves useful too.
With millions of lives now utterly reliant on securely accessing sensitive systems via smartphones, only the most formidable security applications merit consideration.
The following section breaks down the 5 strongest personal data defense solutions protecting mobile devices right now in 2022. I‘ll summarize the core features, pricing and primary pros/cons of each to help determine optimal fits for both families and enterprise scenarios.
1. Norton 360 with LifeLockMobile Finally Tamed
The Norton brand has defended Windows PCs admirably for over three decades now. This pedigree for safeguarding devices brings appropriate lofty expectations around Norton 360‘s effectiveness securing Android and iOS smartphones too.
Encouragingly, my audits confirm the suite lives up to its venerable reputation via these core competencies guarding mobile platforms:
- Real-time antivirus monitoring all system processes and downloaded files
- Immediately quarantines detected threats before spreading
- Daily quick virus definition updates
- Provides accurate app risk ratings warning users from installing harmful apps
- Enables remote locking or wiping of lost or stolen devices
- Dark web monitoring for compromised credentials
- Includes LifeLock identity theft insurance covering up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement
With both device-based antivirus protections and proactive identity monitoring bundled together, Norton 360 brings tremendous value securing mobile platforms for only $149 yearly covering an entire family‘s smartphones, tablets and home computer network.
If seeking a comprehensive option blending actively blocking malware and phishing risks while alerting subscribers to possible compromised credentials detected for sale illegally online, Norton 360 warrants priority consideration.
2. Lookout Mobile Security
Shifting focus now to privacy analytics, Lookout Mobile Security earns high marks for uniquely determining risk levels of installed applications along with providing traditional device security administration safeguards.
Core protections provided:
- App Privacy Reviews – uses AI to gauge data gathering behaviors and security issues
- One-tap access to WiFi & Bluetooth security analysis
- Allows remote device location tracking when misplaced
- Provisions locking & wiping lost phones
- Scans all photos for exposed personal information
- Dark web monitoring for compromised accounts
- $1 million identity theft insurance policy
By evaluating potential threats certain downloaded apps pose through excessive permissions and network traffic analysis, Lookout enables fixing or removing risky programs before they harvest and transmit sensitive information illegally.
When coupled with expected lost phone protections and proactive identity monitoring, this combination of both advanced application vetting and conventional device administration capabilities warrants Lookout a spot among most robust enterprise and consumer options in 2022.
3. McAfee Total Protection
Transitioning to anti-malware protections, McAfee‘s solution focuses primarily on leveraging its venerable threat detection engine securing entire networks for decades now applied to the unique challenges mobile devices present.
Robust features provided:
- Proactive malware and virus blocking
- App adviser with embedded malware detection before installing
- Web protection while browsing via mobile browser apps
- Audits network connections alerting to risky WiFi threats
- Phone location tracking with remote alarm triggering to help recover lost device
- Device lock and wipe for unattended device security
- Dark web monitoring for compromised accounts
With both device and network traffic protections covered thoroughly, McAfee Total Protection brings enterprise-grade security to consumer mobile platforms for $99 yearly.
While not as full-featured analyzing risks certain apps themselves pose like Lookout, the proven malware blacklisting and network traffic monitors provide tremendous peace of mind from conventional attack vectors.
4. ZoneAlarm Mobile Security
While the previous options focus heavily on malware and viruses targeting devices directly, ZoneAlarm earns recognition for innovating around protections specifically handling WiFi and cellular network traffic analysis along with administrative controls.
Noteworthy capabilities ZoneAlarm provides:
- Scans apps for privacy risky behaviors before installing
- Alerts users to insecure WiFi hotspots
- Checks cellular data connections for emerging network threats
- Provides identity monitoring courtesy of award-winning IdProtect service
- Provisions typical device locking and wiping if misplaced
- Includes license for ZoneAlarm Windows PC protection
By emphasizing protections beyond malware databases alone to proactively analyze network traffic via artificial intelligence detecting anomalies bad actors often exploit, ZoneAlarm balances both device and data transit monitoring well.
While priced higher than some rivals at $149 yearly for up to 10 device licenses, it bundles together Top Ten Reviews Gold Award winning solutions securing Windows desktops and mobile platforms in one robust product.
5. F-Secure Mobile Security
Wrapping up recommendations, F-Secure earns praise specifically around rapid response customer assistance expediting tracking down and recovering lost mobile devices before unauthorized access happens.
Distinctive capabilities F-Secure provides:
- Enables remotely triggering loud alarm to help quickly locate nearby misplaced device
- Approximate real-time location tracking via WiFi and cellular signals
- Allows device locking with passcode if fallen into wrong hands but not yet wiped
- Provisions prompting remote data wiping when device recovery proves impossible
- Totally free iOS version just for key lost phone protections
With exclusive focus on lost device assistance as priority number one and very reasonable $3 monthly pricing given this singular purpose, F-Secure suits those craving rapid support regaining possession of misplaced mobile hardware above all else.
And the free iOS application removes all barriers to immediately adding this quick recovery lifeline.
For enterprise scenarios with extensive mobile fleets, F-Secure warrants consideration as a mandatory supplementary lost device locator all personnel must install alongside whichever lead device management solution policies dictate to enable promptly responding to any misplaced equipment events company-wide.
Closing Considerations
Hopefully this overview of five leading mobile security solutions delivered helpful guidance navigating suitable options saving precious data and productivity headaches when our smartphones inevitably face threats in the years ahead.
As digital lifestyles congeal fully around these remarkable portable devices that humankind now inherently trusts as appendages reflexively accessed thousands of times annually, the imperative falls clearly on owners to invest accordingly protecting such invaluable data streams from the spectrum of compromise risks detailed earlier.
No one solution delivers perfect assurances across all vectors. But combinations of the reviewed offerings layered atop sound general security habits like automatic app updates, frequent password changes, device unlock passcodes and routine credit report audits collectively minimize risks to acceptable levels even for those entrusting extensive sensitive information flows across their mobile platforms daily.
Just remember that with mobile shopping, banking and productivity transactions now exceeding $334 billion in 2022 (predicted to breach an astonishing $800 billion by 2025!) failing to dedicate sufficient protections leaves this cornerstone of modern livelihood and infrastructures precariously exposed at a time when tenth of second convenience consistently overrides judicious app permission considerations from most users.
But armed with tools like those profiled above, citizens ultimately maintain authority keeping our preferred mobile platforms fortified through these pivotal early years where smartphone lifespans realistically span 5-7 years for many and risks scale exponentially across such prolonged intervals if ignored or dismissed naively.
So stay vigilant in regularly evaluating security solutions optimal for your household or company‘s evolving needs. Our mobile data represents sacrosanct extensions of our entire identities and livelihoods in modern times. Treat protection measures accordingly with utmost gravity through the critical decade ahead.
Stay safe and secure out there!
