March: Securing Mobile Devices

Sample Tweets, Posts, and Materials to Promote Mobile Security

Authors:: Christina Bonds
Published:: Monday, December 14, 2015
Columns:: Cybersecurity and Privacy

min read

Campus Security Awareness Campaign 2016
This post is part of a larger campaign designed to support security professionals and IT communicators as they develop or enhance their security awareness plans. View the other monthly blog posts with ready-made content, as well as a printable calendar with the 12 topics. Learn more.

Mobile device theft is on the rise. Educate your end users about what they can do now to secure and protect their data and their devices. Below are some ready-made messages that you can customize for your community.

Get the Word Out

Newsletter Content

Mobile devices have become one of the primary ways we communicate and interact with each other. The power of a computer is now at our fingertips, allowing us to bank, shop, view medical history, attend to work remotely, and communicate virtually anywhere. With all these convenient features come added risks, but here are some tips to protect your devices and your personal information.

Password-protect your devices. Give yourself more time to protect your data and remote wipe your device if it's lost or stolen by enabling passwords, PINs, fingerprint scans, or other forms of authentication.
Secure those devices and backup data! Make sure that you can remotely lock or wipe each mobile device. That also means backing up data on each device in case you need to use the remote wipe function.
Verify app permissions. Don't forget to review app specifications and privacy permissions before installing it!
Update operating systems. Security fixes or patches for mobile devices' operating systems are often included in these updates.
Be cautious of public Wi-Fi hot spots. Avoid financial or other sensitive transactions while connected to public Wi-Fi hot spots.

**Use this image to support your messaging (click for larger image).**

Social Posts

Password-protect your devices and configure your devices to lock after a short period of time. #MobileSecurity
Install a security app with remote lock/wipe capability. Make sure the app protects against malware, viruses, and spam. #MobileSecurity
Verify and review an app's permissions before installing it. #MobileSecurity
Really? Does that app need access to all of your contacts and GPS data? #MobileSecurity
Free #wifi hotspots can be dangerous. Avoid financial transactions while connected. #MobileSecurity
Install software updates and patches for apps and operating systems—they often include #security updates. #MobileSecurity
Back up important data. If you need to remote wipe a stolen device, you'll want to have redundancy. #MobileSecurity
Turn off Bluetooth when you aren't using it. #MobileSecurity

E-mail Signature

Ask staff to add a tip to their e-mail signature block and link to your institution's privacy guidelines.

Example:

John Doe
Chief Privacy Officer
University of XYZ

Protect your mobile devices and personal info. Learn more. [Link "Learn more" to your institution's mobile device guidelines or link to these mobile device safety tips.]

Embed or Share Videos

Resources

Share these resources with end users or use them to inform your awareness strategy.

Protect Yourself — Lock Your Devices (poster) [Use something like this for caption above and link picture to Pinterest post.]
Learn more about mobile device safety from the STOP.THINK.CONNECT. campaign.
The FCC also provides a consumer guide on protecting your smart device.
Why You Should Care about Mobile Security infographic from Veracode.
Keep Your Pesky Hands Off My Mobile Data infographic from Symantec.

Brought to you by the Awareness and Training Working Group of the EDUCAUSE Higher Education Information Security Council (HEISC).