Do you have a sexy pic of your girlfriend on your phone? What would she do to you if it ended up on the Internet? This risk is greater than you might think—especially if you own an Android—according to research from North Carolina State University.

Certain Android phones like the EVO 4G and HTC Legend have preset apps that allow access to personal information or exposed phone features without requesting necessary permissions for the actual use, the researchers discovered. The apps are built on top of Google’s baseline Android software and are often used to notify users if they have missed a call or received a text message, explains Xuxian Jiang, Ph.D., an assistant professor of computer science at North Carolina State.

The problem: Hackers then access these backdoor apps and record phone calls, send text messages, and see personal information you send.

Jiang’s team told all of the manufacturers about the risk as soon as they discovered it. But that doesn’t mean you’re entirely safe. A 2011 Juniper Networks Global Threat Center study found in May that malware attacks were up 400 percent since the summer of 2010.

Michael Gregg, cyber expert with Superior Solutions Inc., offers these tips on how to keep the information on your phone secure.

· Turn off apps and services you aren’t using. Hackers wait in WiFi hot spots and look for open apps like a GPS tracker to link into your phone. They gain access to the apps and browsers you use, take information from your personal email, and can even still your identity.

· Make a great password. The best practice is to use a passphrase. To start, think of a phrase and then turn it into a complex password. As an example, “rock and roll forever” becomes “Rock&roll4ever.” It’s upper case, lower case, special character, and numeric. And as it’s a phrase its much harder for an attacker to guess but easy for the user to remember.

· Encrypt sensitive data. Most BlackBerry, iPhone and Android smartphones have built-in encryption software. For more advanced security a third party like Whisper Systems has downloadable software to make sure that even if someone gets your files, they can’t read them. Do it for any files containing personal information like your address, birthday, or anything that you wouldn’t want anyone else knowing.

· Lock others out of your phone. Apps like The Perfect App Protector (free for Android), Smart Lock ($1.80 for Android), Lock Apps ($2.99 for BlackBerry) and Pic Lock 2.0 (free for iPhone) keep your photos, videos, and files safe by closing them to backdoor applications. Just ask the RNC: A reporter bought a BlackBerry formerly used by a Republican, which just happened to have Gov. Schwarzenegger’s personal cell phone. We’re sure the Governator wasn’t a big fan of the crank calls.

· Be wary of “SMishing”. Hackers have gotten creative and will send texts appearing to be from your bank. Only use official bank websites or apps, and if something looks suspicious always call your bank to verify the sender.

· Install anti-virus software. Many smartphones are now more advanced than computers. Jiang recommends the free NetQin Mobile Security software to all of his friends with Android and BlackBerry phones. For iPhone check out VirusBarrier iOS $2.99.

· Catch the thief yourself. There are two types of apps that are great for getting your phone back if ever stolen. Gregg recommends getting both.

-GPS tracker. If your phone is ever stolen, an app like TekTrak Pro ($4.99 for Android), Mobile Defense (free for Android), Find My Phone ($2.99 for BlackBerry) will show your phone’s current coordinates. The iCloud allows users to track their phones coordinates but the free Find my iPhone guarantees people cannot turn off the cloud system.

-The Gotya! Face Trap! App for Android $1.99. This app takes a picture whenever your screen lock is entered incorrectly. After taking the picture, it acquires the location of your device and forms a Google maps link, sending it with the time stamped picture to your email/Facebook helping you and the police track him down.
Mens Health