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DIY Friday: Get Your Stinking Paws Off My iPhone

 

Remember the movie "Planet of the Apes?" Of course you do. Actor Charlton Heston’s zinger one-liner "Get your stinking paws off her you damn dirty ape" can be used as an alarm to ward off an iPhone thief. Or use PhoneSCREAM instead.

 

That and other preventive measures were published by iSmashPhone the other day and is worth a look:

 

1. Turn On Passcode Lock

Sure, this is an amateur tip – but let’s face the facts. Most people out there do not implement a passcode lock on their iPhones. And they should. While it won’t prevent anyone from snatching your phone, it’ll keep your private information private. Here’s how you do it.

1. Go to "Settings".
2. Go to "General".
3. Go to "Passcode".
4. Enter a 4 digit password.
5. Remember it.  
2. Auto-Lock

Your iPhone has an auto-lock option, which (obviously) automatically locks your phone after a chosen period of time, and requires the previously mentioned 4 digit passcode to unlock it. It would be best to have the auto-lock set on either one or two minutes to ensure that the amount of time your iphone spends unlocked is minimized. 
3. Record Your iPhone’s IMEI Number and Serial Number

Your iPhone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number is a fifteen digit number used by wireless carriers to identify your phone. You can find it on the back of your iPhone along with your serial number and FCC ID. Both are important to have when reporting a lost or stolen device.
4. SIM PIN

You can assign a PIN (personal identification number) to your SIM (subscriber identity module) card, so it can’t be used in other phones without the PIN. It must be entered only when you turn the iPhone on, or replace the SIM card. 

1. Go to "Settings".
2. Go to "Phone".
3. Turn on "SIM PIN".
4. You are prompted to enter the current PIN, at which point you must enter the default PIN number. If you are an AT&T customer in the US, the code is "1111". Go here for a list of international default SIM PINS.
5. After entering the default, you can change the code and make it whatever secret combination your heart desires. 

5. Frequently Back Up Your iPhone


Backing up your device is crucial in all situations. Whether you lose your phone, are the victim of a theft, or simply have a buggy iPhone that decides to crash one day, backing up your iPhone is a simple, necessary step to insure the safety of your data. 


6. GadgetTrak

Gadgettrak icon

Price: Free

This application is brilliant in its simplicity. It dupes the burglar into inadvertently sending you his precise location. Here’s how it works.
  1. Download the application.
  2. Go to "Settings" on your iPhone, and go to "GadgetTrak". Choose a browser homepage. (The default is Yahoo.)
  3. Enter your iPhone’s serial number. 
  4. Open the application and register for free with your email and password.
  5. Go to http://www.gadgettrak.com/ and log in to activate tracking. 
  6. When you open the application, it opens your homepage just like Safari, but the magic happens in the background. It sends out the location of your iPhone, along with GPS coordinates, maps, IP address, carrier, and ISP data.
  7. Notice the near identical resemblence between the "GadgetTrak" homepage icon and the "Safari" homepage icon.  
  8. The Safari icon is typically on the bottom panel on most iPhones. Swap GadgetTrak in place of Safari. 
  9. When an unsuspecting iPhone burglar decides to browse the web on your dearly missed gadget, he will unknowingly give away his location – and you’ll get your iPhone back safe. (You should probably have the police come with you.)  

Private-I works with 3G iPhones in sending the location of a stolen phone to you. Many others, too.

And remember to protect your identity on any mobile phone:

First off you want to password protect your phone, it’s a hassle, but something that is often overlooked and a first, simple security solution you can activate to make your phone safer.  That way anytime you turn your phone on for use, it will require a password entry, this way if you lose your cell phone the data is still password protected from anybody that might try to look into your information.

Secondly, if your phone has Wi-Fi capabilities, never transmit any personal data over public Wi-Fi connections.  This means you don’t want to conduct a whole lot of personal business using a coffee house’s internet connection, because being a public connection it’s not safe for personal data.  Anybody could easily intercept your signal and steal any information you receive or send over a public Wi-Fi network, so you should limit your use not to include anything vital, like a credit card number or information about you.

Finally, there is some information you shouldn’t store on your phone, no matter what security precautions you are already taking.  Information like bank account numbers, or the PIN number associated with your account is a big don’t.  Social Security Numbers, and credit card numbers, also a very bad idea, as that information just isn’t secure enough on your cell phone, even with limiting Wi-Fi usage and password protecting.  A smart phone is a great tool, but never forget to respect how easily the information contained within could be stolen and used against you.

I like the GadgetTrak app:

 

Protect your devices as you would your keys.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 8:44 am and is filed under Front Page. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.