Tips to help keep your Surface Duo more secure

By following the tips below, you can help to keep your Surface Duo and personal information more safe and secure.

• Keep your Surface Duo up to date with the latest security updates. To learn more, see Update your Surface Duo.

• Use strong authentication to access your Surface Duo. Use a PIN or fingerprint to unlock your screen. To learn how, see Set up your Surface Duo.

• Connect to encrypted Wi-Fi networks. When you connect to a Wi-Fi network, make sure it’s encrypted with a password. At home, make sure your home Wi-Fi network is secured—all home routers support encryption. To learn more, see Connect to Wi-Fi on Surface Duo.
  Open Wi-Fi networks don’t require a password—they’re not secured. If you need to connect to an open Wi-Fi network because you don’t have another connection option available at the time, don’t use your Surface Duo for activities that involve personal and sensitive information. For example, avoid any activities that involve financial and medical-related information.

• Consider using a VPN connection. A virtual private network (VPN) connection can help provide a more secure connection and access to your company's or your school’s network and the internet. A VPN connection creates an encrypted tunnel for your online activity and makes it harder for others to see what you’re doing. Your company might provide a VPN or you might subscribe to a VPN service on your own. To find VPN settings on your Surface Duo, open Settings, then tap Network & internet > VPN. For more info, see Connect to a VPN on the Android Help site.

• Use MFA for your online accounts. With MFA (multi-factor authentication), multiple factors are used when you sign in. For example, a PIN sent to your mobile device and a password. Or a password and phone call. Usually, you only need to set up MFA when you sign in from a new device for the first time.

• Think about the passwords you use. Length is more important than complexity, but both play a role. Your password should be at least 12 characters long and it shouldn’t contain any words in English. Avoid reusing the same passwords for different email and other online accounts.

• Store your files in the cloud. A secured cloud storage location, such as Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive, means that you can still get to your files for work, school, or for home even if your Surface Duo is lost or stolen.

• Keep an eye out for phishing emails. Criminals might pose as authorities or legitimate companies to try to lure you into clicking a malicious link in an email or providing your personal information. Be careful of opening any email attachments that you weren’t expecting—they might even look like they’re coming from someone you know.

• Attach the Surface Duo Bumper. Part of protecting your data is helping to protect your Surface Duo itself. Attach the bumper that’s included to help protect your Surface Duo. To learn how, see Attach the Surface Duo Bumper.

• Look at your privacy settings. Help protect your privacy when you’re using your Surface Duo. Open Settings, tap Privacy, and look the settings there. For more information about privacy and privacy-related settings, see Microsoft Privacy Statement and Google Privacy Policy.