Nine out of ten British smartphone users complacent about security
2009 News
October 5th, 2009
93% of British smartphone users currently don’t have adequate protection on their handheld devices
London, 5th October 2009 - A new You Gov survey into attitudes towards smartphone security reveals that while over 60% of smartphones typically contain sensitive information such as log-in details, an alarming nine out of ten (93%) smartphone users in the UK currently don’t secure their devices against online crime and data theft.
The survey commissioned by The Carphone Warehouse and Trend Micro, a global leader in internet content security confirms that smartphone security is often overlooked.
“These results, whilst alarming are not really surprising”, says Rik Ferguson, Senior Security Advisor at Trend Micro. “People are simply not aware of the kinds of risks they are exposed to through their mobile devices or the amount of personal information stored there. While more and more companies are encrypting their computers, the same cannot be said of protecting personal data that resides on consumer smartphone devices.”
While consumers have become more savvy to anti-virus protection on their desktops and laptops, mobile devices are increasingly taking on greater functionality and are therefore operating like minicomputers used for activities such as online shopping and banking.
When asked about online purchases, over half of the respondents (54%) admitted to submitting their credit card details via their smartphones to purchase or download items online on the move over the last three months.
The survey also questioned consumers’ concerns regarding smartphone related crime. One in two respondents said their greatest concern was the physical loss of devices (59%) and contact information (56%). While over one in ten respondents (12%) said they’d regularly access website links via their smartphones, a large majority (68%), however, showed no concerns about the possibility of being infected by browsing malicious websites on their smartphones. The results confirm that most consumers who took part in the survey are oblivious to the fact that phishing threats pose the same level of threat to smartphone users as they do for PC users.
“Phishing scams operate in exactly the same way on a mobile device as they do on a PC via spoofed emails. In fact, on many mobile devices dodgy links sent via phishing emails are more difficult to detect with the naked eye as smartphone browsers often do not show the URL in an address bar in the interests of saving precious display space.”
“We have seen an increase in customers using smartphones to carry, share and manage confidential, personal information”, says Andrew Harrison, UK CEO, The Carphone Warehouse. “The fact that consumers are using their mobile devices to shop or bank online without any protection is alarming and we would urge all smartphone users to take relevant security measures to ensure personal, sensitive and financial data is protected from online crime.”
As a solution, The Carphone Warehouse has teamed up with Trend Micro to offer a preventative measure for identity theft, web-viruses and other malware. Trend Micro’s smartphone security offers advanced technology to prevent data theft, block viruses and SMS spam, as well as fighting malware designed to extract sensitive data from a smartphone to offer smartphones the same protection as a laptop or desktop.
For more information on the very latest technology to protect your smartphone, visit http://www.carphonewarehouse.com
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For further information please contact freud communications:
Michelle Husain T: 020 3003 6434 E:
Emily Pendleton T: 020 3003 6553 E:
Notes to Editors:
· Research was carried out by YouGov Plc using a total sample size of 2,127 adults
· Fieldwork was undertaken between 7th - 10th August 2009
· Trend Micro Incorporated is a global leader in network antivirus and Internet content security software and services
· The Carphone Warehouse is the exclusive retail stockist of Trend Micro in the UK
· The Carphone Warehouse is the largest independent mobile phone retailer with over 820 stores across the UK
· For more information on The Carphone Warehouse stores visit http://www.carphonewarehouse.com or call 0800 925 925 or visit http://www.trendmicro.co.uk
About Trend MicroTrend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in Internet content security, focuses on securing the exchange of digital information for businesses and consumers. A pioneer and industry vanguard, Trend Micro is advancing integrated threat management technology to protect operational continuity, personal information, and property from malware, spam, data leaks and the newest Web threats. Visit TrendWatch at http://www.trendmicro.com/go/trendwatch to learn more about the latest threats. Trend Micro’s flexible solutions, available in multiple form factors, are supported 24/7 by threat intelligence experts around the globe. Many of these solutions are powered by the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network, a next generation cloud-client content security infrastructure designed to protect customers from Web threats. A transnational company, with headquarters in Tokyo, Trend Micro’s trusted security solutions are sold through its business partners worldwide. Please visit http://www.trendmicro.com.