The Social Life: Basic tips to keep your phone safe

Spending a lot of my time online I get to see a lot of funny things.

They can be anything from crazy memes to funny tweets people post.

But not all of that is intended to be friendly.

This week is Cyber Security Awareness Week and it has made me think of how safe I am online.

At work my Facebook and Twitter are constantly open on my PC. They are also always logged in on my smartphone.

I have been caught out a couple of times with work colleagues jumping on to my computer before the auto-lock has come into effect, but those have been the typical status updates, obvious to most people that I have been hacked.

However, for some people cyber security is a big issue.

According to NetSafe it's estimated that more than 2000 adult New Zealanders are affected by cyber crime every day in the form of computer viruses and malware, credit card fraud, online scams, phishing and identity theft.

One of the issues being raised as part of Cyber Security Awareness Week is keeping your smartphone safe.

In Symantec's latest cyber-crime report, more than a third of New Zealanders admitted they couldn't give up smartphones, with 50 per cent using a mobile device to go online. According to the report, 16 per cent of New Zealanders had fallen victim to mobile or social cyber-crime in 2012.

Much of this appears to have been due to malware masquerading as legitimate apps, with mobile malware growing by 58 per cent since 2012.

Many of these apps appear to have been designed to steal personal information, including financial details such as credit card numbers.

Another security nightmare was the amount of smart phones lost or stolen. 41 per cent of New Zealanders have lost their smartphone or had it stolen, but only 9 per cent attempted to remotely wipe or lock their phone after it was gone.

45 per cent admitted they'd not secured their phone with a password.

Here are some tips for keeping your smartphone safe:

Use a password: Losing a smartphone is easy. Have a password to make sure others can't access it.

Strong passwords: Always use strong passwords. They should be eight characters or longer, shouldn't include names. They should contain a mix of upper and lowercase as well as numbers and symbols.

Keep confidential data away from passwords and pin numbers: The downside of strong passwords is trying to remember them. Never leave a memo of your passwords on your smartphone.

Unsolicited Links: If you get a link from someone and you didn't ask for it, email them back asking if they meant to send it. Clicking unsolicited links can download malware.

Apps: Only ever download apps from a curated source such as a trusted website or official app store.

Read the fine print: Before pressing "Agree", read the Terms and Conditions. Not doing so could result in the app harvesting your personal information.

Update software regularly: Make sure any apps you're using are kept up to date.

Install a security app: There are heaps of different mobile security apps available. Most should also allow you to remotely lock, wipe and track down a lost or stolen phone.