TechVidvan

Android Security – Steps to secure your Android Device

Security is one of the most common issues with any application you use. Most of us always fear what happens if the application is less secure and someone steals our data. We most often protect our devices by keeping fingerprint locks, pattern locks, or even face locks.

These methods make your device physically secured from unauthorized access, but what about your applications? What if the applications are less secured, and using that benefit may steal away all your data from the device.

So, understanding the ways to secure your android device and Android applications becomes quite an essential step for any developer. Through this article, we will try to cover all such essential steps that help you secure your device from vulnerability and threats through this article.

What is Android Security?

In general Android, Security is like a guard that protects your device and applications from vulnerabilities, threats, unethical accesses, or bugs. Android Security helps users safeguard their data and protect themselves from any kind of viruses.

Android security provides both app and kernel securities. In other words, it provides privacy protection for both your application and device. With every update, Android updates its security patches and provides enhanced security to its users. However, we also need to ensure that we are secured, and to do so, we need to follow some steps as discussed below.

Steps to secure your Android Device

We know that his mobile phone is most important for any person and consists of several vital pieces of data: your contacts, your bank messages, your important documents, and many more.

Suppose, by some chance, somebody hacked into your device and stole all your data, including your contacts. What will you do? It’s always said that prevention is better than cure, and the same applies here. To protect yourself from such scenarios, you shall follow the below steps:

1. Keep your device updated with the latest Android updates. Updates reduce security issues by providing the latest security patches.

2. Ensure to keep a device lock. Try using strong passwords containing alphabets, numerics, and special characters.

3. Refrain yourselves from installing apps from unknown sources. You are recommended to install trusted apps from Google Play Store.

4. Use VPN connections to enhance security in data transition over the network.

5. Don’t click on URLs that are not trusted or are not secured.

6. Use some third-party antivirus applications like Kaspersky, Avast, BitDefender, etc.

What are Android Security Patches?

Android Security Patch, in simple terms, means the changes that are applied to the existing security system. Security Patches are essential as it makes your device more secure and provides higher performance. With time, new kinds of security issues and vulnerabilities occur in devices. So, to ensure safety and better protection against such vulnerabilities, viruses, and bugs, security patches are introduced.

Following are some of the scenarios where security patches play an important role:

1. We can develop applications that run properly at our end, but we can’t expect the same to happen at the user’s end. Sometimes we miss out on some small stuff while building an application, which later results in issues at the user’s end. So, we should be ready to fix such bugs and provide the updated version to the user. In such cases, security patches can help us to improve the user experience.

2. Suppose, for instance, and you have a Messaging Application installed on your device. When you try to message someone from your contacts, the app automatically crashes, and the message is not sent. So, yes, this is a type of bug that the developers can fix in the next update.

3. At some places, the users require some new features which our app initially didn’t have. So, we can add that feature with the next security update and send it to the user.

For example, suppose you have a messaging application where sharing video files is not allowed. Now, if you wish to have a video sending feature in the app, the developers can enable that with the next update.

Now, in some scenarios, what happens is that the app tries to create duplicates of files or tries to access your personal documents without intimating you. In such scenarios, you can understand that your application is not secure, and your data is threatened.

For example, you are using the messaging app on your device. Suddenly, someone sent you a malicious URL which when you opened from your messaging application, your device security got breached. In other words, your messaging application automatically started sending random messages to people in your contacts. Such a scenario is quite dangerous and should immediately be fixed with security patches.

So, from the above scenarios, you got an idea of how and why security patches and updates are so important.

Why is Security Patches important in Android?

Security Patches are quite important in Android as it helps in ensuring security and safety of the user’s device. Below are some of the points why security patches are important in Android:

  • These are essential to solve bugs and issues related to the applications.
  • These help in protecting our devices from vulnerabilities and threats.
  • They patches provide better performance and protection.
  • They prevent hackers from unethically accessing your device or application.
  • These protect your device and user data and provide privacy protection to its users.

Summary

Through this article, you came across what android security is and how it helps us protect our devices against vulnerabilities and threats. You understood the need for security in android and understood the steps to ensure security in android.

Later on, you know what security patches are and how updates bring new security patches and improvements for your application and device. Finally, you came across the importance of security patches in android.