Your Cellphone May Be Secure as Your Password

How easy is it for someone to hack your cellphone?  It all depends on how easy it is for someone to guess your password.

"Something as simple as setting an easy to guess password such as 1234 or setting a password that could have been found pretty easily on their facebook page," says Kevin Mahaffey, Chief Technical Officer for the mobile security company, Lookout.

Mahaffey says all too often people use names of their kids or pets, or date of birth as passwords, all information easily found on your Facebook page.

Another common hacking technique is caller ID spoofing.

"That's where you trick your cellphone network into thinking you're calling your own phone so it doesn't ask for a password and it gives you straight access to your voice mail," explains Mahaffey.

Someone can also hack into your voice mail by calling your cellphone provider and pretending to be you.

"The way to protect yourself from this is by setting what's called an account password," says Mahaffey. "Most major carriers allow you to do this, so that even if someone calls and knows your social security  number and your mother's maiden name, if they don't have your account password, they won't be able to get access.

So, Mahaffey says it all comes down to common sense, simple security steps and a good, strong password.

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