SAN JOSE – Most mobile phone users don’t have security software installed, even though three-quarters of them are aware that malware can infect mobile devices via Bluetooth, according to the “Online Wellbeing” survey commissioned by security-as-a-service provider F-Secure.
The report was based on surveys of Web users aged 20 to 40 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France and Germany. In the survey, they were asked about their knowledge of online and mobile security issues. Of the respondents, 28 per cent said they use their mobile devices to access the Internet, but 86 per cent admitted to having no mobile security in place.
However, most users said they were aware of the security risks involved in using the connectivity features of their phone. Only 21 per cent of respondents said they regard Bluetooth connections as safe, and only 15 per cent said they thought Wi-Fi connections were safe.
Additionally, more than half of the respondents said they felt it was up to the individual user to ensure their phones were protected. About one-third said they expect security to be dealt with by their mobile phone carriers (the U.S. put even greater emphasis on the third-party responsibility).
“While the mobile threat is low at present, it’s only a matter of time before Internet criminals start utilizing the growing potential that smartphone usage presents to them,” said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, in a statement.
“So far there have been about 400 mobile viruses detected, but as smartphones replace PCs as the dominant Internet platform, we can expect this figure to rise.”
F-Secure stated that the low number of people with security software installed on their smartphones combined with the rapidly increasing number of these devices on the market makes them very vulnerable to hackers.
This column was written by Chris Talbot of ConnectIT
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