Is your smartphone secure?

Are you an Apple or Android devotee? If your phone is an Android, you might not be aware that Google releases software patches every month, including important security updates. The security patches are necessary because of critical exploits (“bugs”) that could allow hackers in—meaning your personal information could be up for grabs. Do you really want your photos and texts out there for anyone to see?

Phone manufacturers and carriers are responsible for sending patches to your phone, but these don’t always get sent out in a timely manner, if at all. This is particularly true for less expensive phone models and for phones more than a year old.

Did you know that 60 percent of Android phones are running on software that is two years old? So it’s a good idea to check your phone manufacturer’s website and stay current with all patches released. Consider setting yourself a reminder to check.

Here are the patch update pages for the four most popular Android phones sold in the U.S.:

The UF Information Security Office reminds everyone that smartphones are not the only devices that need regular patching. Keeping your laptops and other devices updated will help protect UF data and keep your personal information and photos safe as well.

Story submitted by Tracy Gale of UF Information Technology