Keeping your privacy in today’s technologically advance world takes effort. Even if you are not keen about posting your private details on social media, hackers can get into your phone to view your pictures, text messages, and even emails. Fortunately, there things that you can do to combat unauthorized access by thieves and hackers. Here are some ways that you can keep your phone, and your privacy, safe.

Download a Reliable Antivirus: This is the first, and possibly most important step, in securing your phone. You can download a reliable antivirus for Android mobile devices from Google Play and enjoy protection from malware and cyber spying. For instance, AVG is available for Android devices at no cost and provides plenty of amazing features to ensure your phone’s protection; you’ll get mobile protection that you can see with AVG’s regular security sweeps and updates.

Make Sure Your Antivirus is Working for You: A great anti-virus can protect your wi-fi, and even your privacy when you browse on an “unsecured” network. But to ensure that your antivirus is working for you, you want to be sure that your security features are enabled. Some specific features you want to check on include data encryption, firewalls, and malware protection.

Practice Good Password Setting: Make sure that your device and your apps have password protection. Make sure that your passwords are different and that you are choosing complicated passwords that are difficult to guess. For instance, family birthdays or pet names would not make a great password. If you aren’t sure that you can remember your passwords, write them down on a sheet of paper and keep that paper in a secure place. After all, paper cannot be hacked.

While maintaining cyber security does take a bit of effort, having your phone hacked can lead to much bigger problems. Even if you think that your phone has been compromised, downloading a good antivirus compatible with your phone is definitely the place to start.