Everyone knows it's important to secure their phone, but what's the best way to lock it? Is the PIN code good enough or is it better to go for a face scan?
To get straight to the point, every form of telephone security has clear advantages and disadvantages. It is therefore especially important to choose a method that works for you. Most people therefore opt for an access code, fingerprint, or face scan. However, all experts agree that you should ignore one option: patterns.
How secure an access code or password is, is largely in your own hands. That is the conclusion of a recent large-scale French study on this subject. In principle, passcodes are a great way to shut down your phone, but the problem is that many people choose codes that are too easy to crack.
Fool-proof your password
Birth years are particularly popular. Suppose someone has a 12-year-old son or daughter, then chances are that the access code of that person is 2010. Furthermore, the researchers show that many people choose easy-to-remember or rhythmic PINs, such as 1234, 1232 or 7892.
Passwords are harder to crack if you do it right. Speaking to Wired magazine, cyber expert Ross Anderson said that only long passwords with a combination of letters and numbers are worthwhile. It is also good to add punctuation marks and special characters if possible.
There are also disadvantages to (strong) passwords. Many people find them difficult to remember and entering them takes a long time. According to Anderson, many therefore switch back to access codes at some point out of frustration.
In any case, make sure that the passcode has at least six digits and is not easy to trace back to you (or a loved one).
Biometrics: fingerprints and face scans
In the security world, biometrics are becoming increasingly important. Here you secure a smartphone with the help of your face, fingerprint, or another body part. Samsung, for example, has previously released phones with an iris scanner.
The best-known form of biometric security is the fingerprint. This way to open a phone is not only easy, but also very fast. That's nice and convenient when you unlock your phone dozens of times a day.
Fingerprints are relatively safe, but not completely secure. In the past, they have sometimes been fooled by 'stealing' someone's finger pattern via a sticky tape and placing it on the scanner of a phone.
American researchers have also succeeded in making artificial fingerprints. Those fake prints were "successful" in unlocking a phone in 65 percent of cases.
Anyone who has bought a new iPhone in recent years will be aware of Face ID. This safe form of biometrics makes a very accurate three-dimensional scan of your face.
According to Apple, the chance is one in a million that the system will be cracked by hackers who would need a 3D mask of the victim's face. The average phone thief is not going to go to these lengths. The biggest advantage of Face ID is its convenience: you only have to look in the front camera to unlock the iPhone.
Avoid patterns
Whatever you do, don't unlock your smartphone with a pattern. It may be easy to quickly draw an 'L' or 'Z', but it's not safe.
American scientists at Cornell University have shown that phone patterns are very easy to remember. After seeing a pattern once, 64 percent of the study group remembered it. If the pattern is seen twice, the percentage rises to above 80 percent. A thief who looks over your shoulder, therefore, has the pattern quickly in their memory and can unlock the phone.
