It is not news that smartphones are already part of virtually all areas of human life in this digital age. They are widely used in numerous activities: to access social networks, Internet banking, health systems, educational systems, e-commerce, messaging applications, among others. 

Last Saturday, December 3rd, the International Day of Computer Security, DISI, in the Portuguese acronym, took place in the National Week of Science and Technology, of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), with the theme “My smartphone, my life". The objective of the event was to educate the population about the best practices for using cell phones.  

With a presentation by Yuri Alexandro, RNP's Personal Data Processing Officer, the event featured renowned professionals in the market: Céu Serikawa Balzano, Awareness Team Leader of Nubank & Co-founder of CULTSEC; Gustavo Marques, specialist in Information Security at EBANX & Host of TecSec Podcast; and Eva Pereira, Director of Culture in Cybersecurity, People & Social Responsibility at IBLISS Digital Security and Deputy Leader & Team Coach at Womcy.  

During the event, topics such as excessive cell phone use by children and adolescents, what to do when a smartphone is lost or stolen, application settings that increase information security, online scams, among others, were addressed with tips and directions for viewers.  

Cybercriminals use a concept called “social engineering” all the time. This type of scam is a technique used in order to induce users to send confidential data or open links that affect their devices with malware. According to experts, making the population aware of this type of manipulation is one of the biggest challenges for information security professionals. 

“Why do we fall into a scam? The criminal manages to exploit our feelings. There are some feelings that make us fall into scams. The first is the anxiety of not missing anything. We need to educate ourselves to consume what we really need, or we will always be susceptible to falling into traps. Another factor is fear. Fear makes us make mistakes”, said Eva Pereira. 

From social networks such as "Tiktok" to online role-playing games, "generation z" is the generation of so-called "digital natives". It is true that most children and teenagers no longer want to spend more than a second away from smartphones. However, it is important for parents to understand that giving their children complete freedom is not good practice. On parental control and the use of cell phones by children and adolescents, Céu Balzano left a message.  

“There are parental control apps available for every type of cell phone. In them, parents can define what time their children go to sleep, how many hours they can use their smartphone and which applications they can use, for example, in addition they can establish settings that require permission to download an application and see how long their children spent in a specific application. There are many resources and it is up to the guardian to use this information to raise the child's awareness, instead of using it in a punitive way”.   

Whether in the hands of teenagers, adults or the elderly, a cell phone is a repository of important information. And with so much data and functions, losing a smartphone is a big headache. Therefore, the event also had guidelines for this type of situation. 

“The first thing to do when losing a cell phone is to access a geolocation application. Most phone manufacturers have this app native to their cell phone. Have I been robbed or have I lost my cell phone? I go to the website, check where it is and I can send a format command to that device. Thus, I avoid the risk of a criminal accessing and capturing sensitive information about me. Another tip is to block the telephone line and the cell phone's IMEI”, said Gustavo at the end of the event.

In a playful way and close to the spectators' daily lives, DISI'22 had several other tips to avoid information security incidents from the use of smartphones.

Watch the event on YouTube and stay on top of the whole discussion.