Enable remote data protection settings
It is important to protect all of your devices against unauthorized access to help avoid data breaches and identity theft. Mobile devices such as phones and tablets require special considerations because they're easier to transport and often used in public, which increase their risk of loss or theft.
Lost are stolen devices are more than a loss of physical property. If cracked, these devices could provide hackers with a wealth of personal information, including your home address, account names and passwords, and contact data. Configure your device to ensure that it remains secure, even if it is lost or stolen.
Requirements
Faculty and staff are required to configure any mobile devices either owned by the University or used to process University information as part of their job responsibilities to protect data if the devices are lost or stolen.
- Require a strong password or passcode to log in to your device whenever you start or resume use.
- Use whole disk encryption to protect data stored on mobile devices.
- Configure your device so that it automatically wipes all stored data after ten failed password entries.
- Configure your device so that it can be remotely wiped, locked, or located if it is lost or stolen.
- Back up your files regularly to prevent them from being lost if someone steals your device. Keep the backups in a separate, secure location so they cannot be stolen as well.
General guidelines
- Protect your mobile devices with strong passwords or passcodes. Consider using complex passwords or thumbprint scans instead of basic passcodes when available.
- Ensure that your mobile devices are protected by whole disk encryption.
- If you use your mobile devices for sensitive University information or sensitive activities, such as banking, shopping, or checking work emails, consider enabling settings that will erase the device's memory after several failed authentication attempts.
- Back up your device regularly to ensure that your data is available if your device crashes or is lost or stolen.
- If your mobile device can't be reached for remote wiping, locking, or locating, change the passwords for any accounts you used on that mobile device, including your UDelNet account.
External resources
In order to recover or wipe a lost or stolen mobile device, IT recommends the following software:
- Find My iPhone (Apple)
Apple app that is native to all Apple iOS devices and that helps users locate, lock, and wipe lost devices through iCloud. - Where's My Droid? (Lookout)
Android app that helps users locate Android devices on Google Maps or lock and wipe them through the Lookout website.
