The Norton report shows that 978 million people could have been the victim of cyber attacks in 2017. Smartphones are becoming a popular morsel for cheaters. Here are four applications that will help you ensure the security of your phone and your data.

Avast Mobile Security

We start with Avast, a popular and free antivirus application. Avast not only scans our device for malware, but also allows you to easily clean your smartphone of temporary files and other “junk”.

One of the most useful features is the Wi-Fi scanner, which allows you to check whether the network you have connected to is properly secured. This is especially important when connecting to open Wi-Fi – e.g. in a hotel or shopping mall.

ProtonVPN

A VPN is a type of private tunnel through which we connect to the network. The traffic between the VPN and the device is encrypted, which is why the internet provider cannot check which pages we are browsing.

If you are looking for a free and proven VPN application, I recommend ProtonVPN. The application will secure our connection, hide the IP address and allow anonymous internet browsing. ProtonVPN should also be launched every time we use an unknown Wi-Fi network.

The creators of ProtonVPN emphasize that they do not store information about users, and the company’s headquarters is in Switzerland, where privacy laws are extremely restrictive.

ProtonVPN – download for Android and iOS

LastPass

Experts warn us that using one password for many services is a gift for cybercriminals. Remembering a dozen or several dozen passwords can be a challenge, however. LastPass comes to the rescue. The application stores passwords and confidential data in an encrypted “safe”.

When you log in to a website, LastPass automatically fills out your username and password for us. Our private data will be secure even when the smartphone gets into the hands of another person because our fingerprint is required to confirm each login.

LastPass – download for Android and iOS

Find My Device by Google

IPhone users appreciate the feature that allows them to track a smartphone in a situation where it is lost or stolen. It turns out that for some time a similar service has also been available on Android devices.

To use it, just install the “Find my device” application. It will help you find a lost phone, lock it until it is recovered, or delete all data from it remotely. Even if the current location of the device is not available, the map will show the last known location.