Which setting best protects Dan if a thief saw his code and stole his iPhone?

Stolen Device Protection: without Face ID the thief can’t change the Apple ID password. This protection requires biometrics for important actions away from home and delays Apple ID password changes. The code without Dan’s face is useless.

A courier asks Dan to install a parcel-tracking app from an APK link. What should he do?

Don’t: real services are in the official stores, and an APK from a link is a common way to infect a phone. Official apps aren’t handed out as files in chats. Such “trackers” often read SMS and see the screen.

Why hide notification text on the lock screen?

So verification codes can’t be read without unlocking. An SMS code on the lock screen is an open door for anyone who picks up your phone for a minute.

Your phone: lock, theft and apps

Lesson 8 of 16 in the course “Cybersecurity from Scratch”. Free, with animations and a quiz.

Your phone in someone else’s hands

The nastiest scheme of recent years: the thief first watches you enter your unlock code, say in a café or on the subway, then steals the phone. With the code he changes the Apple ID or Google password, turns off phone tracking and opens your bank and exchange using SMS codes. Your phone is now a wallet, an ID and a set of keys at once. Protect it accordingly.

The unlock code

Four digits is 10,000 combinations, six is already a million. A password of letters and digits is stronger still. Birth years, 1234 and 0000 are out: they get tried first. Biometrics, a fingerprint or face, are handy because you rarely have to type the code in public. And when you do, cover the screen with your hand, like a PIN at a cash machine.

Turn on theft protection

iPhone has Stolen Device Protection: away from familiar places, important actions require Face ID or Touch ID, and changing the Apple ID password works only after a delay. A peeked code no longer helps the thief. Android has similar theft protection: the phone locks if it’s snatched out of your hand, and you can lock it remotely. And be sure to turn on Find My or Find Hub so you can locate, lock or erase the phone.

Codes on the lock screen

If message text shows on your locked screen, so do your verification codes. Picking up your phone from the table while you step away, tapping “Forgot password?” on your account and reading the code takes a minute. In notification settings, choose “show previews only when unlocked”. It’s one toggle.

Apps and their permissions

Install apps only from the App Store and Google Play. An APK file from a chat link is a common way to slip malware onto Android. Look at what permissions an app asks for: a flashlight doesn’t need your texts and contacts. Accessibility access on Android is especially dangerous: with it a program sees your screen and taps buttons for you. Once a month, delete apps you don’t use.

Check yourself

Which setting best protects Dan if a thief saw his code and stole his iPhone?
Correct answer: Stolen Device Protection: without Face ID the thief can’t change the Apple ID password. This protection requires biometrics for important actions away from home and delays Apple ID password changes. The code without Dan’s face is useless.
A courier asks Dan to install a parcel-tracking app from an APK link. What should he do?
Correct answer: Don’t: real services are in the official stores, and an APK from a link is a common way to infect a phone. Official apps aren’t handed out as files in chats. Such “trackers” often read SMS and see the screen.
Why hide notification text on the lock screen?
Correct answer: So verification codes can’t be read without unlocking. An SMS code on the lock screen is an open door for anyone who picks up your phone for a minute.

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