Anyone who surfs the internet on their mobile phone every day is exposed to numerous attempts at fraud. Cyber criminals try to spy on your data or even block your mobile phone so that it can only be used again after you pay a large sum of money. Many people therefore ask themselves how they can best protect their data from unauthorized access. One possible solution is to install a firewall.
What exactly does a firewall do?
A firewall, sometimes also called a firewall, does exactly what the name says. It prevents anyone from entering the mobile phone and causing damage. It works like a kind of bouncer that only allows content authorized by the mobile phone owner to pass through, other content remains outside. This distinguishes a firewall from an antivirus program, which fulfills its task inside the device and renders malware that has already penetrated it harmless.
Mobile phones offer a certain level of basic protection
On gdata.de, interested readers can find more information on the topic of firewalls. However, if you haven’t yet thought about a firewall in your mobile phone, you don’t need to worry in most cases. If you use the usual applications, make phone calls, surf the Internet a little and only use apps from the App Store, you are well protected against attacks even without a firewall.
After purchase, the mobile phone receives regular security updates, which will ward off most viruses anyway. In addition, the mobile phone owner cannot simply download apps from unknown sources, but only from sites that have been specified in advance.
With the following tips, you are well protected even without a firewall:
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- Install all updates on the mobile phone
- Obtain updates only from trustworthy sources
- Watch out for emails with suspicious content
When is a firewall for your mobile phone useful?
For most users, the security precautions of the operating system should be sufficient. However, anyone who frequently downloads apps from other sources will need a firewall. A firewall for the mobile phone is also useful if the user wants to control exactly what data the individual apps send. A firewall enables precise control of the data flow.
Installing a firewall is not as easy as installing a virus scanner. It is often even necessary to root the mobile phone, which means that the owner must have full access to all functions as an admin. Rooting a mobile phone requires some technical knowledge and should only be carried out by experienced users.
However, there are also firewalls that can be loaded onto a normal, non-rooted mobile phone. After installation, the app still needs to be customized to your own requirements. This is important, as an incorrectly set firewall may block important data or allow too much data through, so that the security of the mobile phone is not guaranteed despite the firewall.
Conclusion
Even those who have studied computer science often do not have a clear answer to the question of whether or not a firewall is necessary for a mobile phone. You can find authors online who are in favour and others who are against. The truth is probably somewhere in between. A firewall makes sense if the mobile phone is used excessively, if you want to control the data streams precisely and if you download apps from a wide variety of sources. If you want to use a firewall, you should opt for one that does not require the mobile phone to be rooted, as installation is much easier.
