If you are an Omerta owner remember don't be complacent. The tools bestowed upon your handset are not a silver bullet but a series of defences which still require you to exert caution &  common sense. The following article covers the essentials for securing your handset. Remember - do the basics well & the advanced stuff comes easy. 

CHOOSE A STRONG PIN!

Your PIN code is the keys to your kingdom. The entire Omerta defence strategy is built around your PIN code. This means you must choose a strong PIN & not one which is easily guessed. If your PIN code is any of the following then change it immediately - any bad actor serious about cracking your phone will have a checklist of standard PIN codes to try:

• Your Birthday
• Any family members  birthday
• 1234
• 1111
• 0000
• 1212
• 7777
• 1004
• 2000
• 4444
• 2222
• 6969

Studies have shown over 26.83% can be guessed by attempting the top 20 most popular PIN combinations. Read more about this study here.

The answer? CHOOSE A 6 DIGIT PIN!!!!!

ENABLE LOCKER & review emergency wipe functions

Should your handset fall into bad hands, and the chance of it being returned are slim, then you really want your data erased. Omerta handsets can be set to wipe all data using a variety of emergency wipe features. In total Omerta supports 6 wipe functions, including a duress pin & dead hand switch. For a detailed explanation of each wipe function please visit this page. There is also a video tutorial explaining each function.

If you think a scenario exists where you will be coerced into giving out your PIN then rehearse a scenario for using the emergency features. This will make the real thing appear more natural, it will mask your trap & assist you in following through even if under stress & anxiety. Don't ignore it as ultimately, if the risk is real & you fail to practise then if you have to step up to the mark you might ind your actions leave a lot to be desired. 

ENABLE PRIVATELOCK & TEST SENSITIVITY

It's not unknown for bad actors to snatch a phone to by-pass the locking mechanism. The Police utilise this "tactical mugging" technique which whilst low tech (I mean the mugger has to continually tap the screen to stop it locking until they get it to forensics, which could be over an hour) has led to serious arrests - read this article as an example.

Your Omerta has an anti-snatch feature. Enable PrivateLock and set the sensitivity to a level that works for you - I personally have it at maximum & I find it works for me. Even if not hiding state secrets, this one feature is great even around friends who can be a bit grabby when inebriated .

SETUP UP ATTESTATION FOR PEACE OF MIND

This function is no longer a requirement since Attestation is now an out of the box feature which works with no user interaction!  Read about out of the box Infiniti Attestation here.

CHANGE THE DEFAULT WALLPAPER

I really love the wallpaper designed for the Omerta range of phones - partly because I designed them & partly because they really show the quality of the OLED screens used. They are a wonderful advertisement for Omerta.

However, if you are a high risk user, you really do not want to advertise that the handset is security hardened. Leaving the Wallpaper on means anyone trying to break your phone will visit this website & learn all they can about the phones defences prior to attempting to hack it.

Change the wallpaper to something else - that way they assume it is a normal phone & set about attacking it blissfully unaware that on the 5th attempt the phone will factory reset.

LAST THING - KEEP EVERYTHING UPTODATE

The last pointer for this article is this - keep your phones software update. Every week hackers discover vulnerabilities within software & these can be used to exploit your device. By keeping software updated this threat is mitigated.

Use the App Markets to update all Apps & allow OS updates to install when prompted. If using Mobile Data on an eSIM, connect to wifi to perform updates.

CONCLUSION

So remember, your phone isn't invincible if you use PIN 1234. Be sensible. Tell no one your PIN. Don't share your phone. Read the manual and understand its features. That way, should you end up in your own little Clash of the Titans you'll be comfortable in the knowledge it isn't a Clash, more like a splash in your favour.