In the ever-growing digital era, smartphones have become an inseparable part of our daily lives. However, the devices we often carry everywhere have also become increasingly tempting targets for hackers. This article will discuss the reasons why hackers are more interested in our smartphones than desktop computers, as well as provide insight into how we can protect ourselves from these cyber threats.

1. Ease of Access and Availability of the Internet Our smartphones are almost always active, connected to the Internet, and used for various purposes, from email to social media. This makes it a very profitable target for hackers. With constant access to the internet, hackers have more opportunities to exploit our devices.
2. Valuable Personal Information We often store very valuable personal information on our smartphones, such as credit card numbers, bank account information, and contact data. This makes smartphones the equivalent of our digital wallets. If it falls into the wrong hands, this information can be misused in detrimental ways.
3. Weaknesses in Text Messaging Applications Text messaging applications on smartphones tend to be less secure. They are often not equipped with a good enough level of security, and text messages can easily be exploited by hackers. They can even make money by subscribing to premium SMS services without our knowledge.
4. Low security on smartphones According to Kaspersky Asia Pacific Managing Director, Adrian Hia, smartphone users tend to pay less attention to security than computer or laptop users. Only around 20% of smartphone users in Southeast Asia have antivirus installed on their devices. Most smartphone users don’t really realize the importance of a security system.
5. Always-On Devices Smartphones are always active and ready to use, increasing the potential for cyberattacks. Hackers can easily take advantage of this condition to steal data or hack devices.
6. Proliferation of Digital Financial Applications and Trends The large number of applications available for smartphones, including financial applications, creates potential security issues. Smartphone users often carry out financial transactions online, which makes them vulnerable to cyber attacks aimed at stealing financial data.

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How to Protect Yourself from Threats on Your Smartphone To protect yourself from cyber threats on your smartphone, there are several steps you can take:

• Always download apps only from official app stores such as the Apple App Store, Google Play, or Amazon App Store.
• Check the permissions requested by the app and do not grant permissions carelessly, especially if the app requests access to sensitive information.
• Install reliable security or antivirus software on your device.
• Always install the latest software updates, especially operating systems, to fix any security holes that may exist.

Conclusion

Our smartphones are the main target for modern hackers. With the valuable information we store on them and security vulnerabilities that are often overlooked, it is important to take steps to protect ourselves from cyber threats. With better awareness about security and proper precautions, we can keep our personal and financial information safe in the ever-evolving digital age.