The iPhone is one of the technological advancements that took the world by storm. With every new release, the phone only gets better and better as the technology improves and the parent company Apple finds new ways to create better iPhones.
One of the inventions that Apple is extremely proud of is its iCloud technology. Allowing you to upload all of your data onto one cloud that you can access from any device, whether it's a brand new iPhone, an iPad, or even your MacBook. However, many people have been wondering: is iCloud secure?
Looking at the worldwide shipments of iPhones just in the first quarter of 2022, it's safe to say that there are billions of iPhones in use all around the world. There's no doubt that iPhones are becoming more and more popular, which means that cybercriminals are working harder than ever to breach their security. We've seen many security and privacy scares relating to iPhones over the years. All the more reason to ask whether iCloud is secure enough, and how you can make it more secure.
Why iCloud Backup is Crucial
Many iPhone users don't use the iCloud backup feature on their iPhones, especially since you need to pay some extra money to get enough space to add all of the data on your iPhone. However, this feature should not be overlooked, and here's why.
Our smartphones, whether it's an iPhone, Samsung, or any other brand, contain some of our most sensitive information. Your iPhone can tell you which places you visit most often, it knows your name, date of birth, and perhaps even your social security number. You've probably got a banking app on your iPhone, with the password saved for easy access. You most likely have photos of your friends and family, and your email accounts are likely to open with all of your contacts and inboxes open without passwords.
You can imagine that if this information was to fall into the wrong hands, you could end up with a ton of headaches. Cybercriminals could breach your password manager and log into all of your accounts, they could send phishing emails to your friends and family from your account, or they could simply empty your bank account from your own iPhone.
Now, this might all be a worry to you if you've lost your iPhone or if it has been stolen. However, if your iPhone is backed up to the cloud you can simply erase the data on the phone remotely, and you won't lose anything of value since it's stored in the cloud.
Since all of the sensitive information on our phones is stored in iCloud, we want to be sure that Apple's iCloud feature is secure enough to keep cybercriminals out. After all, if a cybercriminal was able to hack into your iCloud, they could simply download all of the data onto a separate iPhone and create a clone of your iPhone with all of your details including your banking apps, email accounts, and so much more.
Luckily though, Apple's iCloud function is incredibly secure as it is. However, there are several features you can use to make it even more secure if you're worried about your account being breached.
How to Make Your iCloud More Secure
The first feature you can use is to enable two-factor authentication. This is a handy feature that requires you to use two devices to log into your account. It might be a hassle, but it means that no one is able to log into your iCloud from a new device without having access to your current device.
Turning on the "Find my iPhone" feature is a good idea. You will be able to track your device as long as it is linked to your Apple ID. Cybercriminals tend to switch the phone off which will prevent you from tracking it, however, you can still remotely erase all of the data on your iPhone, leaving them with nothing but an empty device.
Apple also allows you to sign out of all browsers from your iPhone. This is helpful as it closes your account on all other browsers just in case you left your account logged in somewhere, or even if a hacker has signed into your account - a good feature to make use of.
You should make a habit of selecting the anonymous email option whenever you create accounts with your Apple ID or download new apps. This is a great feature that hides your email address from anyone on the internet which will prevent you from receiving marketing emails, or even phishing scams.
It's recently been a hot topic of controversy, but Apple introduced a feature that shows you exactly what apps on your iPhone have access to. Many were surprised to find out just how much tracking is done by social media apps - from locations to banking information. Luckily though, with this transparency, Apple also introduced a feature that limits these apps from tracking your sensitive information, and you should always be enabling this feature.
How to Securely Store Your Passwords
When it comes to using iCloud - or any account for that matter - always make sure that you use strong and unique passwords to ensure that your account has the maximum possible level of security.
Strong passwords are made up of random words, phrases, symbols, and numbers. Make sure that there is nothing that relates to your personal information such as your name or date of birth - as much as this is easier to remember, it puts your accounts at risk because cybercriminals can find this information if they dig deep enough. You also need to ensure that you are using unique passwords for all of your accounts. No two passwords should ever be the same because if one account is breached, a hacker will try to use the same password on other accounts.
You might be wondering how you're going to remember all of your strong and unique passwords. We recommend using a premium password manager. These password managers are more secure than the default one on your iPhone as they require you to use a master key to unlock the "virtual safe" that stores your passwords. The master key is randomly generated and only you have access to it - making this the most secure way to store your login credentials.
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