The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has advised citizens to regularly delete or transfer certain files on their mobile phones to secure storage, aiming to protect themselves from cybercriminal activities. This important recommendation was shared via the «Cyberpolice Herald of Russia» Telegram channel.
Specifically, the agency strongly recommends exercising extreme caution with photographs and scanned copies of important personal documents. These include passports, SNILS (Russia`s individual insurance account number), TIN (taxpayer identification number), driver`s licenses, and bank cards. The MIA suggests storing these images in secure cloud storage solutions, emphasizing the critical importance of utilizing two-factor authentication for enhanced security.
Experts also stress that passwords for various online services should under no circumstances be stored in phone notes or sent via messaging applications. Instead, it is strongly recommended to use dedicated password managers, store passwords offline in a secure manner, or create encrypted backups of chats containing confidential information, subsequently deleting the original sensitive data from the devices.
Furthermore, the MIA urges citizens to regularly clear their message history from banking applications. This proactive measure is intended to prevent fraudsters from leveraging financial information found within these messages for their deceptive schemes. The agency also advises deleting work-related documents and any intimate personal photos from the phone`s gallery. «A leak of such images can lead to blackmail or extortion attempts. The best solution is to transfer these images to password-protected cloud folders or delete them entirely,» the official statement reads.
Law enforcement officials also highlighted the necessity of deleting unnecessary contacts from the address book, while important contacts should be moved to a secure backup. It is strongly advised against leaving personal information as notes within contact cards, as malicious actors can easily exploit this data for various criminal purposes if they gain access to the device.
Earlier, Russian citizens were warned about a new, emerging scam tactic involving the widespread distribution of fraudulent tax notifications, underscoring the continuous evolution of cyber threats.
