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The relationship between most users and their electronic devices are often closer than that between best friends, with 29 percent of users taking these devices in the bathroom and 25 percent sharing secrets they keep from other people with their gadgets, a recent study showed.
According to a research conducted by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, 87 percent of people store “important, confidential, and sometimes irreplaceable” information on their smartphones, such as passwords, photos, messages, contacts, and other files.
It added that one out four people said their device contains “sensitive information” that they don’t want others to see.
But the report stressed that the level of trust users have in their devices could leave them at risk, as these can be hacked and be exposed to strangers.
“Outside the home, these devices face potential risks that include damage, loss and theft, but also hacking by cyber-criminals intent on stealing data or even spying on the user. Devices that are used on open Wi-Fi networks are particularly vulnerable to attack,” the researchers said in a statement.
“However, few people take action to reduce their risk. Our study found that just 26 percent of users adapt their online activity when on an insecure public Wi-Fi network, despite the fact that hackers can easily intercept data and passwords,” it added.
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The study said less than half or only 47 percent takes advantage of their devices’ security features, adding that a quarter of those who had lost their devices discovered that personal information had been leaked.
“The bond of trust between users and their devices can lead them to forget about security. It’s hard to imagine that something we carry close to us at all times and turn to for everything, could ever become a threat. But it can, and does happen. A digital friend can become a digital frenemy,” said Victor Yablokov, Head of Mobile Product Line at Kaspersky Lab.
“A failure to appreciate the potential risks and to protect our devices and information accordingly could mean the loss of confidential information, money and even our identities. The device camera that we use to look out onto the world can be hacked and used to look into our world instead. Security is simply not an optional extra,” he added. CDG
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