# Vulnerability of having everything on your phone **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456 "2022-12-13T15:23:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/1 "2022-12-13T15:23:09Z")
Over dinner some friends of ours were telling us about friends of theirs who were robbed by three young men (maybe even teens) at gunpoint in Baltimore. It’s one thing to give up whatever cash you have on you but these guys held a gun on the man and demanded him to open his bank apps on the phone and move money from there. I don’t know any details, so don’t ask (example: When you move money it has to go somewhere, so can’t law enforcement track down the destination account? No fucking idea.) They also took their car keys and ostensibly the car, tried to take her laptop but she pleaded with them because all of her graduate thesis work was on it. What steps can a person take to protect themselves against the compromise of their phone and yet still take advantage of the convenience of mobile technology? (BTW the police were useless and didn’t give a fuck. They just told them they would never catch the guys, and never get their stuff back, even though they were on a street loaded with Ring cameras and whatnot. She actually tracked down one of them because he was using her AirPods with a locator feature, but the police said, well, you can’t prove that he was actually one of the ones who robbed you. I could understand if this was a car window smash & grab, but this was fucking _armed robbery_.) ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/2 "2022-12-13T15:30:02Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > What steps can a person take to protect themselves against the compromise of their phone It’s just a phone! For a hundred bucks I got a flip phone that is excellent for communication. I don’t put any information of value on it. I don’t need to make bank transfers while waiting at stop lights. My home computers provide sufficient convenience. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/3 "2022-12-13T15:35:38Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > you can’t prove that he was actually one of the ones who robbed you. WTF? They were robbed at gunpoint and at the very least this is receiving stolen property. It could have led them tom a violet criminal gang. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/4 "2022-12-13T15:44:36Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Over dinner some friends of ours were telling us about friends of theirs who were robbed by three young men (maybe even teens) at gunpoint in Baltimore. Not to cast doubt here, but we are in “friend of a friend” territory here, which means the details (of which we have few) might not be correct. I can’t imagine a gunman trying to set up an actual bank transfer, which is neither quick or easy. I don’t think this is a common enough to worry about specifically. Googling around I’ve found very few news stories about it happening (and most are from right-wing tabloids). Keep a password on your phone, add 2 factor authentication to your accounts, and immediately call your banks/change your passwords if your phone gets stolen. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/5 "2022-12-13T15:50:33Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > It could have led them tom a violet criminal gang. Don’t mess with the Toma Violet Gang. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/6 "2022-12-13T15:53:31Z")
I suspect mugger SOP is to take a victim’s phone so the crime can’t be immediately reported. The phone is probably ditched ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/7 "2022-12-13T15:53:59Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > It’s just a phone! > > For a hundred bucks I got a flip phone that is excellent for communication. I don’t put any information of value on it. I don’t need to make bank transfers while waiting at stop lights. My home computers provide sufficient convenience. Why do you have computers at home? We didn’t have any 30 years ago. Life was just fine without them. Why do you need them now? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/8 "2022-12-13T15:56:04Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > > > It could have led them tom a violet criminal gang. > > Don’t mess with the Toma Violet Gang. The whole rhythm section was the [Purple Gang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purple_Gang). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/9 "2022-12-13T16:02:33Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > > [@Crane](#): > > > > It’s just a phone! > > > > For a hundred bucks I got a flip phone that is excellent for communication. I don’t put any information of value on it. I don’t need to make bank transfers while waiting at stop lights. My home computers provide sufficient convenience. > > Why do you have computers at home? We didn’t have any 30 years ago. Life was just fine without them. Why do you need them now? - Because I don’t want to trudge down to the telegraph office just to post on The Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/10 "2022-12-13T16:03:21Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > I don’t need to make bank transfers while waiting at stop lights. you must not have kids. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/11 "2022-12-13T16:03:28Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > They also took their car keys and ostensibly the car, tried to take her laptop but she pleaded with them because all of her graduate thesis work was on it. Aside from the attempted robbery, it seems really foolish to have all of her graduate thesis work on the laptop, rather than in the cloud or a network drive. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/12 "2022-12-13T16:04:27Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Why do you have computers at home? The OP addressed both communication and convenience of mobile technology. I have sufficient mobile technology in my car and laptop. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/13 "2022-12-13T16:11:43Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Because I don’t want to trudge down to the telegraph office just to post on The Dope. > [@Procrustus](#): > > you must not have kids. Yes, I am an Archaic. I do not spend my life staring into a 3x5 screen or typing with my thumbs. The telephone is ample for voice communication. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/14 "2022-12-13T16:12:29Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > The OP addressed both communication and convenience of mobile technology. I have sufficient mobile technology in my car and laptop. Good for you. I was just wondering why you think laptop computers are valid, while pocket computers aren’t. 20 years ago, would you have asked us why we need laptops, as desktop are sufficient? ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/15 "2022-12-13T16:18:32Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I was just wondering why you think laptop computers are valid, while pocket computers aren’t. 20 years ago, would you have asked us why we need laptops I answered the OP by supporting voice communication on the phone and avoiding storing personal information on the thing. Don’t believe I demeaned laptops. Twenty years ago I was being paid to design computer architectures. Didn’t have any biases against laptops. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/16 "2022-12-13T16:24:05Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Yes, I am an Archaic. I do not spend my life staring into a 3x5 screen or typing with my thumbs. The telephone is ample for voice communication. I was referring to the calls I get “Dad, I need $50 RIGHT NOW” It took awhile, but I think I have finally trained them to understand that transfers might take a few minutes or hours, depending on my availability. But, transferring money at a stop light is definitely something I have done. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/17 "2022-12-13T16:26:56Z")
But you do have biases against pocket computers. Which tells me that you like your computers small, but not TOO small. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/18 "2022-12-13T16:28:00Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > transferring money at a stop light is definitely something I have done. I admire your responsiveness and it is something I have not done. Relative to the OP it has potential dangers. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/19 "2022-12-13T16:30:14Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > But you do have biases against pocket computers. Which tells me that you like your computers small, but not TOO small. I do? Goodness I’ll have to engage in introspection. I was unaware, ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456/20 "2022-12-13T16:31:19Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Because I don’t want to trudge down to the telegraph office just to post on The Dope. That’s what messenger pigeons are for. Duh! Stranger [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulnerability-of-having-everything-on-your-phone/976456.md?page=2)