Convenience overrides security for UK mobile shoppers

A new survey from Tripwire, Inc., provider of risk-based security and compliance management solutions, which looked at the attitudes of 1000 UK consumers, has revealed that despite a huge increase in shopping on mobile handsets, shoppers do not have security in place to protect the identity and credit card data stored on the devices.

The survey, which was carried out by One Poll in December, revealed that 32 per cent of respondents have their mobile device linked to their bank or credit card, yet almost half of those 32 percent do not have any security on their mobile, and, worryingly, 39 percent of respondents believe the convenience of mobile shopping overrides security concerns. Other findings from the survey revealed that on average shoppers will spend approximately £260 using their mobile devices, however only 2 percent would be comfortable spending over £1000.

The study also revealed that 36 per cent of consumers have their mobile phone linked to their corporate network, yet almost a fifth (18 percent) of these people also do not have any security installed on their device.  In addition, 17 per cent of consumers also admitted to holding business data on their mobile device. These figures ultimately highlight the fact that consumers are putting their employer's data at risk as well as their own.

Gavin Millard, EMEA technical director at Tripwire, said: "The results from our survey highlight the fact that consumers are still not recognising that cybercriminals are targeting mobile devices to collect personal information and for financial gain. Because mobile devices are linked to corporate networks and credit cards whilst storing a huge amount of private data, there is a much greater need to keep them secure and protected. Adding a PIN to your lock screen, checking the validity of apps before installing them, and ensuring the SSL certificates on shopping sites are correct is easy to do and will help keep the data stored on mobile devices safe from cybercriminals."

The survey was conducted by One Poll in late November 2013 and looked at the attitudes of 1000 UK employed consumers.