The cell phones of politicians, celebrities and business professionals have been hacked or compromised, so how can you protect your cell phone data, and contacts?

Smart phones like Android are easier to hack than computers, and that weakness has been exploited by reporters and techs across the globe in recent months.

Here are a few tips on how to protect your mobile phone:

• Use a password. Various phones allow for a single finger swipe to unlock them and those phones are at risk. Call your own phone, if it goes straight to voicemail without needing a password, a hacker only needs to pretend to call from your phone to access the same information. Check voicemail instructions to turn password skipping off. The same goes for any apps that require passwords especially when they contain personal information. Entering a password puts another barrier between hackers and your personal information.
• Password Part II: Don’t make it easy. Avoid passwords with numbers as they appear on a keyboard like 1234 or 4444. An easy approach to take is to repeat one of the numbers. If the phone is stolen, there will be tap prints on only three buttons leaving the hacker to try and guess the non-existent fourth number. For added security, change the password every few months.
• Keep Updated. When occurrences of iPhone tracking and malware on the Android market surfaced, both companies released patches on operating system updates to fix the problem. “I don’t think that any OS vendor would claim to have fixed every flaw upon release” said Scott Frees, assistant professor of computer science at Ramapo College. “The companies and other security firms are constantly trying to find flaws.”
• Be Aware of your surroundings. When surfing, be sure you are on a secure website, which means it starts with h-t-t-p-s. This means the data that’s being sent from your computer to the servers that host the data is encrypted, it makes it far, far less likely to be viewed by someone else. Also take notice of the wi-fi network you use. Unsecure networks mean others can see what you are doing on your phone.
• Common Sense. Don’t download an app from sites other than your service provider’s website. The android marketplace has had some Trojan horse attacks which sent location and user information to hackers. Also, monitor your phone usage whether online or on paper statements in case anything suspicious occurs.