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The truth is, when you purchased your new iPhone security was probably the last factor you considered, if you considered it at all. The new iPhones are beautiful and the graphical changes have made the device a wonder to look at and use. But the bells and whistles that make the iPhone so desirable are the same things that make your iPhone a target for theft.
Luckily for all of us, the new iPhone iOS is one of the most secure mobile device operating systems ever made. The new system is so secure that federal officials are recommending the use of iOS for the first time (source). So, while security may not be as fun as many of the apps and features of your new iPhone, I recommend following these steps first to secure your phone.
Find My iPhone Authentication
The Find My iPhone feature helps locate missing or stolen iPhones. This feature has existed on iPhones for a while now, but in iOS7, new features have been added. First, the Find My Phone requires users to enter an authentication code or password. Without the password, users are unable to change Find My Phone settings and in the case of a stolen phone, thieves are unable to deactivate Find My Phone.
Find My Phone also includes the ability to remotely lock the device, location services, send messages to the device, and remote erasure of data.
Activation Lock
When thieves acquire a new iPhone or iPad, the first thing they will do is restore the device to factory settings so that they may sell the device as new to others. With Activation Lock, included with the Find My Phone feature, this becomes impossible without the Apple ID associated to the original user. As long as the Find My Phone feature is enabled through the iCloud service, activation lock will inhibit thieves from access and restoring the stolen device.
Erase Authentication
Another common tactic of iDevice thieves is to erase tracking and monitoring apps stored on the phone. As long as the user has enabled a device passcode on their iDevice, this ability is restricted. Be sure to enable the device passcode, as the Apple ID is not used in this instance.
Privacy Settings
Privacy is the new byword in the days following the NSA scandal. Apple's iOS7 takes privacy very seriously as well by allowing per-application configuring of permissions. What this means is that the user has the ability to choose how an app interacts with the features on the iPhone. Users may choose how apps interact with the microphone, camera, or cellular data.
Expanded Data Encryption
In the past, Apple has included powerful data encryption for its iOS devices. Unfortunately, the encryption was restricted to only the core data and functions of the iOS. Apps were not included in the encryption unless specifically added by the app’s developer.
Now, in iOS7, all data is encrypted by default if the device is secure with a passcode. No passcode, no encryption.
