Mobile Phone Security
Fact Sheet
Mobile Phone Security
This fact sheet has been developed for the Consumer Education Program by the Communications Commission of Kenya. It was compiled by studying material from various authoritative sources and adopting what is universally acceptable and relevant to the Kenyan situation. The fact sheet is intended to enable Consumers have a good understanding of the issues discussed and hence empower them when making decisions regarding ICT products and services. Introduction One of the biggest threats that a mobile phone user faces today is loss or theft of the phone. Not only is the mobile valued as a physical device, the phone may contain personal and financial data stored in the handset or in the phones subscriber identity module (SIM card). While a stolen SIM can be barred by a mobile network once the theft has been reported it is a bit harder to bar the handset from being used with different SIM card. Unless the user had protected his personal information with a PIN prior to the theft or loss of the phone, this data can be accessed by unauthorised persons. Mobile phone users normally store a wide range of information on their phones. This information can either be stored in the phone’s internal or external memory (depending on the make and model of the phone) or in the SIM card. The SIM card is used mainly to store contacts and short messages while the phone’s memory is used to store information such as personal photos, emails, and calendar items. In order to prevent unauthorised persons from using the phone and further gaining access to the stored information, some mobile phones have security features which the user can activate. This fact sheet has been developed to address security of the information stored and what to do should you lose the phone. Securing the information stored. There are at least two methods one can use to secure the information stored on a mobile phone. These are: a) SIM lock This method takes advantage of the SIM card
Mobile Phone Security
This fact sheet has been developed for the Consumer Education Program by the Communications Commission of Kenya. It was compiled by studying material from various authoritative sources and adopting what is universally acceptable and relevant to the Kenyan situation. The fact sheet is intended to enable Consumers have a good understanding of the issues discussed and hence empower them when making decisions regarding ICT products and services. Introduction One of the biggest threats that a mobile phone user faces today is loss or theft of the phone. Not only is the mobile valued as a physical device, the phone may contain personal and financial data stored in the handset or in the phones subscriber identity module (SIM card). While a stolen SIM can be barred by a mobile network once the theft has been reported it is a bit harder to bar the handset from being used with different SIM card. Unless the user had protected his personal information with a PIN prior to the theft or loss of the phone, this data can be accessed by unauthorised persons. Mobile phone users normally store a wide range of information on their phones. This information can either be stored in the phone’s internal or external memory (depending on the make and model of the phone) or in the SIM card. The SIM card is used mainly to store contacts and short messages while the phone’s memory is used to store information such as personal photos, emails, and calendar items. In order to prevent unauthorised persons from using the phone and further gaining access to the stored information, some mobile phones have security features which the user can activate. This fact sheet has been developed to address security of the information stored and what to do should you lose the phone. Securing the information stored. There are at least two methods one can use to secure the information stored on a mobile phone. These are: a) SIM lock This method takes advantage of the SIM card