What To Do About Lost Mobile Devices
Missing smartphones or laptops invoke instant panic. We all flinched just reading that sentence, after all. These devices run huge parts of our lives. Needed files, personal financial programs, daily apps, password managers, pictures, videos, social media and so much more.
The information our mobile devices hold these days is more personal than what’s contained in your wallet. All of your digital footprints makes a lost or stolen device a cause for alarm.
Often the device itself isn’t the biggest concern. That can be replaced, after all. Instead, the data on the device and access the device has to cloud accounts and websites presents the cause for anxiety. The thought of that information in the hands of a criminal is quite scary.
Approximately 70 million smartphones go missing every year. Owners only recover about 7% of them, by the numbers. Workplaces ought to be safe, but the office is where 52% of stolen devices go missing.
If a work laptop or smartphone goes missing, the situation is even worse. Now the company might be subject to a data privacy violation. The business could also suffer a ransomware attack originating from that stolen device.
In 2020, Lifespan Health System paid a $1,040,000 HIPAA fine due to an unencrypted stolen laptop breach. That was one expensive laptop.
The Minutes After the Loss of Your Device Are Critical
The minutes after missing a device are absolutely critical. Regardless of whether it’s a personal or business device, the faster you act, the less chance there is for exposure of sensitive data.
What Types of Information Does Your Device Hold?
When a hacker gets their hands on a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, they immediately access a treasure trove. This valuable info includes:
⦁ Documents
⦁ Photos & videos
⦁ Access to any logged-in app accounts on the device
⦁ Passwords stored in a browser
⦁ Cloud storage access through a syncing account
⦁ Emails
⦁ Text messages
⦁ Multi-factor authentication prompts that come via SMS
⦁ And more
Steps to Take Immediately After Missing Your Device
As we mentioned, when it comes to a lost mobile device time is of the essence. The quicker you act, the better you mitigate your risk for a breach of personal or business information.
Steps you should take immediately after the device is missing include freaking out, sure. But before you do, go through the following list.
Activate a “Lock My Device” Feature
Most modern mobile devices and laptops include a “lock my device” feature. This feature allows for remote activation if you have enabled it before the loss. You will also need to enable “location services.” Skilled thieves may be able to crack a passcode, but turning that on immediately slows them down.
What about “find my device?”
If you look in the same setting area, you’ll usually a “find my device” feature available. Only use this to try to locate your device if you feel it’s misplaced instead of stolen. You don’t want to end up face to face with criminals!
Tell Your Company If The Device Is Used for Work
If the device was used for business, call it in your company immediately. Even if all you use a personal smartphone for occasional work emails, that can still damage the business. Many companies use an endpoint device manager. When your business uses this sort of manager, access to the company network can be immediately revoked.
Reporting your device missing immediately can allow your company to act fast. This can often mitigate the risk of a data breach, and keep you in your employer’s good graces.
Log Out & Revoke Access to SaaS Tools
Many mobile devices feature persistent logins to SaaS tools. SaaS stands for Software as a Service, and basically serve as subscription services. Accounts like Microsoft 365, Trello, and Salesforce are just a few examples of SaaS tools.
Use another device, like a desktop to log into your account through an application or browser. Then go to the authorized device area of your account settings. Look for the device that’s missing on the list, and immediately log it out of the service. Then, revoke access entirely if presented the option.
This disconnects the device from your account so the thief can’t gain access to your business information.
Log Out & Revoke Access to Cloud Storage
Always include cloud storage applications when revoking access and logging out of applications. Is your missing device syncing with a cloud storage platform? If it is, the cybercriminal can exploit that connection to get at already stored data.
Just for starters, they could upload a malware file that infects the entire storage system. They could hold data for ransom. They could also reset your device to resell it, and in the process delete files from cloud storage because the device synced.
Active a “Wipe My Device” Feature
Hopefully, you are backing up all your devices. No, nothing has changed from the early days of the Internet, you still have to backup absolutely everything. Doing so ensures you have access to copies of all your files in the case of a lost device.
Can you tell if the device is not simply misplaced, but rather stolen or lost for good? If it’s gone forever, then use a remote “wipe my device” feature if it has been set up. This will wipe the hard drive of data. You should probably set it up now if you never have.
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