81% of smartphone owners still concerned about mobile security – survey

The survey was conducted by global provider of consumer-centric mobile internet services NQ Mobile and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a US non-profit organization. The research has shown that people are concerned about the personal information they keep on their phones, with nine out of ten respondents aware that smartphones contain personal information and 81percent concerned about that fact.

Furthermore, the report has found that, when it comes to specific security threats, 78 percent of interviewed smartphone users are concerned about their lost or stolen phone falling into the wrong hands and its contents being misused. Additionally, 67 percent of those polled were shown to be most concerned about losing their password data but would also be most willing to add security to protect the banking and other financial data on their phone.

Moreover, the survey has revealed that users are about evenly split on being concerned about protecting the privacy of their location when using their phones, with 50 percent of interviewees reporting that they know how to turn off or set permissions for location tracking and just 38 percent knowing how to disable geo-tagging. Additionally, 95 percent of interviewed phone users believe that at least one entity can track their location while their phone is on, with 87 percent believing that carriers can track their location, followed by hackers 57 percent and legitimate apps 54 percent.

Finally, the survey has found that while 70 percent of smartphone users said they had some type of security or security software on their phone, just half of them actually could identify what type of security they have. Additionally, 58 percent of smartphone users report they dont know enough about mobile security to decide whether they need it or not and a majority of those who do not have any security features/software on their smartphones do not have them because of a lack of awareness or complacency.