Woburn, MA – June 28, 2018 – New research from Kaspersky Lab has found that 52 percent of people do not password-protect their mobile devices, and only 22 percent of consumers use anti-theft solutions on their phones. This means that pickpockets could be in for a treat if they are able to easily swipe one of these unsecured devices and access all of the data on it.

IFPO July Special: 30% off all textbooks on our website!

According to the report, today, most consumers rely heavily on mobile devices to store and access sensitive digital data. For example, over a third (35%) of people use their smartphone for online banking. Furthermore, 57 percent of people regularly use their smartphone to access personal email accounts and 55 percent use it for social media activities.

Like the IFPO on Facebook!

However, having a lot of precious data stored on their mobile device does not necessarily make consumers more security-conscious. Kaspersky Lab found that less than half (48%) of those surveyed password-protect their mobile devices, and just 14 percent encrypt their files and folders to avoid unauthorized access. This means that losing a device to petty crime could have serious consequences beyond the cost of the device itself, as all of the data on it– including photos, messages, and even financial details – could be compromised.

Membership has its privileges! JOIN the IFPO and see the benefits!

Even if a device is protected by a password, many consumers are failing to take basic precautions to ensure that all is not lost if their device is broken or stolen. In fact, less than half (41%) of the respondents make backups of their data, so regardless of whether a criminal can access the data on a stolen device, it will not be recoverable to the owner.

Click here to read the rest of the story.