How secure are your mobile devices?

Half of UAE users fail to password-protect mobile devices and data, security expert says

With nearly half (47 per cent) of the people in the UAE still failing to protect their mobile devices, and only 25 per cent using anti-theft solutions, pickpockets who get their hands on a smartphone could be in for more of a treat than even they hope for.

This is one of the latest concerns raised by cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab, which claims to have found in a survey that people are leaving their devices — and the increasing amount of precious data on them — accessible to anyone.

Many people today rely on their mobile devices to access the internet and carry out online activities. So losing a device to petty crime is potentially more damaging and upsetting than ever before, the company said in a press release.

For example, it said, 75 per cent of individuals surveyed in the UAE say they regularly use the internet on a smartphone and 36 per cent now regularly use a tablet to get online.

As such, several types of precious data are being stored on, and sent from, these gadgets.

For example, over a third (41 per cent) of people use their smartphone for online banking, which of course provides access to valuable financial information.

Furthermore, 65 per cent of people regularly use their smartphone for accessing their personal email accounts and 66 per cent say they use it for social media activities, both of which involve a huge quantity of sensitive data.

But having a lot of precious data on their mobile devices doesn’t necessarily make people conscious and secure, the company said. Only (53 per cent) of people password-protect their mobile devices and

just 14 per cent of people encrypt their files and folders to avoid unauthorised access.

So, if these devices fall into the wrong hands, all of this data — from personal accounts, to photos, messages and even financial details — could become accessible to someone else, it warned.

Even losing devices that are protected with passwords can still have significant consequences. For example, less than half (46 per cent) of people make backups of their data and only 47 per cent use anti-theft features on their mobile devices.

Dmitry Aleshin, VP for Product Marketing, Kaspersky Lab, said: “There are a few really simple things that everyone can do to secure their devices and the data they hold. By applying password protection and using a dedicated security solution, including anti-theft protection, you can protect your personal information, photos and online accounts from both loss and malicious usage.”