New study reveals smartphone users are unprotected

ROCHESTER, U.K. - Oct. 14, 2013 - PRLog -- A new study by Belake Research Ltd took an in-depth look at how people in North America use their cellphone to access the internet, and found some surprises. Particularly interesting was the very lax approach people were taking to security on their phone, with just 27% feeling that they were well protected.

But half of us have sensitive information on our phones, and 11% use an online service that involves some sort of financial transaction. This means that most people are at risk of identity theft, and some also leave themselves open to fraud.

When asked what they did to secure their phone, half of people did use the PIN feature of their phone. But only a third had anti-theft protection on their phone, and 28% had security software.

However, the biggest risk comes from the physical security of the phone. 19% of people have had their phone stolen in the last year, and 11% have lost their phone. Like many areas in internet security, the 'human factor' is the weak link in the chain.

All this data, and more is available in our FREE report which can be accessed via the link below.

http://www.belake.com/index.php/92-features-and-news-category/106-mobile-internet-in-na

Belake Research Ltd is an independent market research agency based in the UK, but with a global client base. This analysis was taken from a survey of 307 internet users in the period November 2012 to January 2013, selected to be representative of the US and Canadian demographic.