Woman using a mobile phone

Mobile Security

Take strong steps to protect your privacy.

It's a small price to pay for staying secure

Smartphones, tablets and smart watches are small, lightweight and easy to carry. In other words, they're remarkably convenient. On the downside, they're easy to misplace and are often targeted by thieves and hackers. What can you do to protect yourself? Take these relatively simple steps.

  • Create a strong password for your mobile device that is easy to remember but hard to guess.
  • Use your device's auto-lock feature. We recommend you set your auto-lock to take effect no later than 5 minutes after your last activity.
  • Antivirus is now available for mobile devices. Avast and Lookout are two free antivirus apps that you may want to check out.
  • Don't share your device with others. Because you can't set separate passwords on your mobile device like you can when logging into computers, it's best not to share your device with anyone.
  • Back up your data regularly. We recommend syncing your mobile device with your computer or backing up your information to the cloud.
  • Delete text messages or emails that contain sensitive information. We recommend that you never disclose sensitive, personal information via a text message or email. Sensitive information can include your driver's license number, Social Security number, password, and account numbers. First National Bank will never ask for this information in a text or email.
  • Device manufacturers provide regular updates to operating systems, which include security patches. Check with your manufacturer for information on how to get the most recent updates.
  • Be cautious about what apps you download. Prior to installing a new app, check the ratings and comments to be aware of what the app does and what information it may access on your mobile device.
  • Be aware that malware, viruses and fraudulent applications exist. Only download mobile applications from authorized application stores like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
  • If you lose your mobile device, report the loss immediately to your carrier.
  • If you believe your device has been lost or stolen, immediately go online and change passwords for financial and personal accounts to prevent any identity theft or fraud.

Apple and Android

Many people have Apple and Android mobile devices. Here are some specific tips to help those users:

Apple

  • Set up "Find my iPhone" to help you locate your phone if it gets lost and to remotely wipe information from it.
  • Only connect to networks you trust. To ensure you don't randomly connect to available Wi-Fi networks, set the "Ask to Join Networks" function.
  • For applications that contain sensitive data, set a separate passcode (different than any others you are using) for each application.
  • Only download applications from the Apple App Store.
  • Apple provides updates to the operating system which may contain security patches. To receive the latest updates, connect to iTunes .
  • If you are running iOS5 or greater, you can receive these updates over the air by using Settings/General/Software Updates.
  • For more information about how to protect your Apple device, visit the Apple security page .

Android

  • Turn off the "Visible Passwords" feature to keep your password from displaying on the screen so others can't easily learn your password.
  • Turn off Wi-Fi when you are not connecting to a wireless network to ensure you don't inadvertently connect to a wireless network.
  • We recommend you only download applications from trusted app stores such as the Google Play Store .
  • Google provides updates to the Android operating system which may contain security patches.
  • For more information about how to protect your Android, visit the Android security page .