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| A customer buys a mobile phone at a mobile phone shop in Islamabad on August 6, 2013 (Photo: AFP) |
In today's era, the mobile phone has become the guardian of family, business and financial secrets of its owner. A study about the most secure phones considering security and privacy.
Today's mobile phones are not just a means of communication but their internal memory stores the owner's family, business and financial secrets.
Hence the safety of this small but important device cannot be neglected.
A decade ago, mobile phone buyers were concerned about camera quality, memory and screen quality, but now manufacturers are more focused on security levels, device invulnerability and privacy.
The most important component that can be checked to compare the security level of mobile phones is the operating system of the device. Hence, mobile phone manufacturers always try to focus on the digital security of users by using new technology.
Android or iOS: Which has more security?
Two operating systems, Android and iOS, are the dominant mobile platforms today and each has its own passionate fans. Both Android and iPhone operating systems are constantly updating their privacy and security features to deal with threats and vulnerabilities, but each of them has its own security methods.
Apple keeps its operating system highly secure and no other company has access to the source code of Apple's operating system. On the one hand, this method is useful because it cannot be accessed by cybercriminals.
On the other hand, it is dangerous because even independent researchers and experts cannot identify the flaws of the system and check the source code.
The Android operating system and its updates are mostly open source code. This approach allows smartphone manufacturers and software developers to make changes to the Android operating system and adapt it to the needs of their users.
Open source code helps developers ease and troubleshoot problems, but open source code can be a gateway for hackers or malware to enter Android devices.
In both operating systems, some programs track users' network traffic without their knowledge and, for example, use the user's personal data to display advertisements. iOS started solving this problem before Android.
On the iPhone, features protecting users' privacy have been around since the release of iOS 12. This feature was further improved in subsequent versions until it became one of Apple's flagship features in iOS 15.
This feature allows users to monitor app activities. One of the advantages of this feature in the iPhone operating system is that programs cannot learn about users' internet behavior and therefore unwanted or malicious ads are blocked on the iPhone.
On the other hand, this feature is only available on some Android devices. For example, Samsung's new devices have a privacy dashboard that users can use to set and monitor app limits.
In Android 12 and later, some features have been added to check the level of access apps have to the phone. This feature works in Android in such a way that users can control or block the display of advertisements. However, some apps still run in the background.
Apple announced on July 6, 2022 that it will introduce the 'lockdown mode' feature, which is the highest possible level of security, by the end of 2022. According to Apple, the purpose of releasing this feature is to protect people who are targeted by advanced malware or government-sponsored groups.
This feature limits potential entry points for spyware. With this feature, most attachments in messages, FaceTime calls and other invitations will be blocked. Unless it's from someone you've already contacted or shared an invite with.
Xiaomi, Huawei or Samsung; Which phone is safe?
The transparency of tech companies operating in China has always been questionable. Xiaomi is one of those companies that many privacy experts view with skepticism.
There are two important things about Xiaomi phones. In the first step it is about the hardware. The Xiaomi company produces devices with efficient hardware, all of which cost less than Samsung or Apple models, and that's why many people in countries like Iran have focused on using Xiaomi.
Another point is the company's focus on software discussion and user privacy.
In 2020, cyber security researcher Gabby Sarlig noted that Xiaomi phones track a user's web browsing history, record search engine activity, and monitor people's location. All this data is then sent to Singapore and Russia via a host server in Beijing. However, Xiaomi has not yet officially accepted this claim.
Huawei smartphones are in the same situation as Xiaomi devices. This company offers new features and capabilities in its devices and has acceptable performance in terms of using the latest hardware.
The company's phones can prevent hackers from breaking into the device, but security and technology activists and journalists are concerned about protecting users' privacy and being controlled by Huawei.
The main reason experts do not classify Huawei devices as secure technologies is that the company provides surveillance equipment to the Chinese government and received $100 billion in subsidies from the Chinese government in 2015.
In recent years, Samsung mobile phones have made significant strides in improving security and combating cyber threats. Samsung has its own security system whose primary function is to protect sensitive data including passwords, fingerprints and biometric locks.
It also protects users from malware and harmful programs. This technology is called Knox and has been implemented on Galaxy devices.
The way Knox works is that when you put something in a 'secure folder' it is first processed and then sent to the 'Knox Vault' storage. Where it is more secure than your normal data.
In addition to this technology, Samsung provides a security 'hypervisor' that does not allow the control of the device to fall into the hands of malicious software, thereby protecting the entire system.
A hypervisor is a program used to run and manage one or more virtual machines on a computer.
Of course, mobile phone manufacturers try to improve the user experience of their customers by using the latest technologies.
But it should be noted that the level of mobile phone security depends on various factors, one of the most important of which is user accuracy and vigilance of people in online activities.
For example, if a person clicks on an insecure attachment, or logs into an insecure payment system, the risk is their own and no longer in the hands of mobile phone manufacturers.
Another noteworthy point is the relationship between mobile phone security and users' geographic region. For example, many of the world's politicians and presidents use iPhones, but iPhone services are banned in Iran.
It should also not be forgotten that in many cases the security level of a particular phone can be customized. Although government officials in many countries apparently use the same common mobile phone, special security measures are always included in the exchange of information on their phones.
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