Prevent SIM Card Changes

To prevent your stolen phone from being used by thieves, you can lock the SIM card to the phone. After you report the stolen phone and deactivate the SIM card via your operator, the thieves will not be able to insert a new SIM card and continue using the phone.

On a Series 60 phone, you can do that via the Settings>Security>Phone and SIM>Lock if SIM changed menu. Again, you will need to enter the SIM password obtained from the operator.

No solution is completely secure. An experienced hacker can still reflash your phone via a data cable and get rid of the SIM lock. But the SIM lock does make it more difficult for ordinary thieves to resell the stolen phone.

Report a Lost or Stolen Phone

If your phone does get stolen, the first thing you should do is call the wireless operator and deactivate the SIM card so that the thief cannot make calls against your account. You can also ask the operator to put the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number of your phone into a blacklist database. The blacklist database is a cooperative effort by wireless operators to bar blacklisted phones from making calls on any of the participating operators' networks. This greatly reduces the value of a stolen phone. However, the current blacklist implementations have some problems:

In most countries, the blacklist is a national or regional database. The thief might be able to export the phone to other countries where it has not been reported as stolen.

Wireless operators in the U.S. have not joined any blacklists. This has made the U.S. a haven for stolen phones.

In addition, an experienced mobile phone hacker can alter the phone's IMEI number via data cables. It is an illegal operation, but it is possible. Once the IMEI number is altered, the phone is no longer on the blacklist.

If you live in the UK, you can register your phone with the National Mobile Phone Register via the web site http://www.immobilise.com/. This allows you to quickly report a stolen phone to the UK national blacklist and get notified when the police recover your phone.

Restrict Calls

To protect against unauthorized calls, you can restrict the type of calls the phone can make or receive, via the Settings>Call barring menu on a Series 60 device and the Settings>Security settings>Call barring service menu on a Series 40 device. For example, you can bar the phone from making expensive international calls when the device is roaming.

When you activate or remove those settings, the phone communicates with the network to update settings with the network operator. You need to have the four-digit SIM PIN code to activate call restriction. Call your operator's phone support and ask for the Extended Services SIM password, if you do not have it. Once you have the SIM card PIN, you can change it from the same menus you use to change the phone's lock code.

An even more extreme measure is to restrict the phone to dial only a predetermined list of phone numbers. You can use the Settings>Security>Phone and SIM>Fix dialing menu on a Series 60 phone or the Settings>Security settings>Fixed dialing menu on a Series 40 phone to do that. You will be asked to select the allowed numbers from your Contacts list, and to enter the SIM password to activate the setting.

Encrypt Sensitive Data

Many Nokia Series 40 and Series 60 phones include the Nokia Wallet application. On my Nokia 6600, the Wallet application is accessible via the Extras Wallet menu. The first time you use Wallet, you will be asked to create a wallet code, which is used to generate an encryption key. Then you can store small bits of data, such as web site passwords and bank accounts, in the wallet. The data stored in the Wallet application is encrypted and is accessible only to the person who knows the wallet code. On some recent phone models, the Wallet application can also integrate with the Services browser to save information you fill out on web forms.

If you key in an incorrect wallet code three times in succession, the Wallet application is blocked for five minutes. The next three incorrect entries of the code will double the blocking time.

If you need to encrypt entire datafiles on a Nokia Series 60 phone, third-party applications such as SmartCrypto from SymbianWare
(http://www.symbianware.com/product.php?id=scrypto60&pl=n6600) can help you. It encrypts any individual file on the Series 60 filesystem. Once the file is encrypted, you have to know the password to read its contents.

Protecting the Memory Card Data

The memory card on a Nokia device can store large amounts of personal data, such as pictures and other media files. Even with a locked phone, someone can still physically remove the memory card and potentially read its contents using a card reader. You can use a password to protect the memory card so that it cannot be used in other devices or card readers.
On a Series 60 device, you can lock the memory card via the Options>Set password menu in the Extras Memory menu. On a Series 40 device, you can set the memory card password via the Options>Set password menu when you select the memory card icon in the Gallery menu.

Locking the Phone

You can lock most Nokia phones (this is much more restrictive than locking the keys) by tapping the Power button, choosing "Lock phone" from the menu, and entering the lock code. Once the phone is locked, you can perform only two actions:

• You can tap the left soft key, which is labeled Unlock on the screen, and enter the lock code again to unlock it. If you are in the dark, tap the Power button to turn on the LCD backlight.
• If there is an incoming call, the locked phone will ring and you can take the call by pressing the green Call button.

If you just want to lock your keypad to prevent accidental dialing (or launching applications) when the phone is in your pocket, you can press the left soft-key and the * key at the same time. To unlock it, just press the left soft-key (or middle soft-key on devices with three soft-keys) and the * key again. No password is needed. Accidental dialing is especially a problem for phones that have the navigation pad sticking out like a joystick (e.g., the Nokia 6600).

You cannot dial any phone number or execute any application when the phone is locked. The default lock code in a factory-fresh phone is 12345. You can change the lock code in the Settings Security Phone and SIM Lock code menu on a Series 60 device or the Settings Security settings Access codes Change security code menu on a Series 40 device. On earlier Nokia Series 60 devices, you might find those settings in the Tools program rather than the Settings program.

Using the security settings, you can also configure the phone to automatically lock itself after a period of time .

Prevention

Protect your wallet and privacy by preventing unauthorized access, even when you do not physically possess your phone.

It is easy to lose a mobile phone. Most of us have had the experience of forgetting the phone on our desk or in our car. Our kid might take it to school, or our spouse might take it on a trip. Sometimes, the phone might even get stolen. A lost phone can expose you to big security risks, even if it is out of your physical control for only a couple of minutes:

Someone might be able to obtain the sensitive personal and business information stored on the device or someone might use the phone to make expensive calls or send messages to premier SMS service numbers and have the cost billed to you.

In this section, you will learn how to protect yourself against information theft and unauthorized service access when you lose your phone.

Remember to remove all locks, security codes, and personal data from your phone before you sell it on eBay! The best way to do this is to perform a hard reset and then format the memory card.