Cybersecurity habits mirror You’s Beck McAfee reveals only 12% people remotely erased data from lost or stolen devices

Netflix’s hit series You has got people discussing their online privacy and traceability. However, McAfee, the device-to-cloud cybersecurity company, discovered less than a fifth (17per cent) of Brits who lost or had their phone stolen (43per cent) made any attempt to prevent criminals from accessing data stored on the device or in the cloud.

Only 17 per cent said they remotely locked or changed passwords and a mere 12 per cent remotely erased data from the lost or stolen device to prevent it from getting into the wrong hands.

You’s protagonist, Joe, showed just how easy it can be to track someone via a stolen device still connected to the cloud and McAfee warns this is a stark reminder to change passwords, lock, and wipe a phone the moment it goes missing.

In the show, this residual connectivity resulted in Joe tracking Beck’s live location and gaining access to her social media accounts and private messages.

More than a quarter (26 per cent) of Brits have had their social media and emails hacked, with one in 10 stating that an ex has logged into their accounts without permission.

And less than half of Brits (44 per cent) set their social media profiles to private to help avoid prying eyes.

Yet, more than a third (36 per cent) of people reported being concerned that images and information taken from their social media could be used against them, i.e. to intimidate or blackmail.

Chief Scientist and McAfee Fellow, Raj Samani comments: “Every day, people leave streams of information about themselves online without considering the risks of their digital footprint. Our research discovered that 60per cent of people disclose their location in some form when posting online, for example tagging the restaurant they are at on Instagram Stories. Even more concerning is that 15per cent has posted photos of the front of their house to social media.

“If this information gets into the wrong hands, it can be used to paint a detailed picture of someone and offer direct access into their lives. Although ‘You’ is thankfully a fictional show, it served to highlight how information we share online can have scary repercussions if it ends up in the hands of criminals.”

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, are we all at it?

McAfee’s study revealed more than three quarters (76 per cent) of Brits trawl through social media to find out more about people they are interested in.

And if the first social media account they head to is private, more than half (53 per cent) will search for another account to see if they can get access to information or updates.