Excerpted From MSN
The security firm Symantec did a research study revealing that people who found a lost smart-phone violated the loser’s privacy a whopping 89 percent of the time.
The project called "Honey Stick" sought to quantify just how likely you were to get back a phone you had lost, privacy and data intact. And from what they found the odds are not good.
“There is a very high likelihood [that] attempts to access both sensitive personal- and business-related information will be made if a lost and unprotected smart-phone is found by a stranger,” Symantec wrote in the study. They also concluded that “In today’s world, both consumers and corporations need to be concerned with protecting the sensitive information on mobile devices,”
What they did was to "lose" 50 smart-phones, intentionally leaving them in a number of highly trafficked public areas — elevators, malls, food courts, public transit stops and so on — in major cities across the U.S., including Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. They used the GPS function of the phone to track its location and simulated apps meant to mimic banking and social networking apps as well as simulated data clearly labeled "private pictures" or "HR salaries."
"Nearly all of the phones were found, and used — and half of the finders contacted the owners. But far too often, those people crossed the line at the same time, the study said.
“People are naturally curious, but when a lost mobile device is discovered, curiosity can lead to the violation of personal privacy and the exposure of sensitive personal information.”
- A total of 89 percent of devices showed attempts to access personal apps or data.
- Attempts to access a private photos app occurred on 72 percent of the devices .
- An attempt to access an online banking app was observed on 43 percent of the devices.
- A “Saved Passwords” file was accessed on 57 percent of the phones
Their conclusion is clear – "Guard your privacy careful, and your gadgets even closer"
The results do not amaze me. We as people are curious and the old adage of "Curiosity Killed the Cat" seems to come to fruition. The study justifies the requirement of making sure you have a password or other type of locking mechanism for your gadgets. It also reinforces the need to regularly change your online passwords.
With the many different password saving apps available for PC and Smart-phones, there is no reason to fall victim to identity theft.
-Bryan