Smartphone owners 'vulnerable to identity fraud'
People with high-end smartphones may need to go further to safeguard their data after a study showed many are being targeted by fraudsters.
According to Javelin Strategy & Research, consumers who own smartphones are proving especially vulnerable to identity fraud.
The organization attributed this partly to the fact that many are being lax when it comes to data security.
For instance, nearly two-thirds of smartphone owners were found to not encrypt their handset with a password.
As a result, any information stored on the device can be instantly accessed should it be lost or stolen.
Javelin also revealed that almost one-third of smartphone owners use their handset to store log-in information, which means bank and email accounts could be vulnerable.
The problem could be set to become more prevalent in the coming months, as the International Data Corporation recently revealed the smartphone market around the world enjoyed year-on-year growth of more than 54 per cent in the final quarter of 2011.
Posted by Paul Newton
According to Javelin Strategy & Research, consumers who own smartphones are proving especially vulnerable to identity fraud.
The organization attributed this partly to the fact that many are being lax when it comes to data security.
For instance, nearly two-thirds of smartphone owners were found to not encrypt their handset with a password.
As a result, any information stored on the device can be instantly accessed should it be lost or stolen.
Javelin also revealed that almost one-third of smartphone owners use their handset to store log-in information, which means bank and email accounts could be vulnerable.
The problem could be set to become more prevalent in the coming months, as the International Data Corporation recently revealed the smartphone market around the world enjoyed year-on-year growth of more than 54 per cent in the final quarter of 2011.
Posted by Paul Newton
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