The "Connected but Careless" study sponsored by Norton revealed that, despite repeated warnings
about Internet threats, consumers are still somewhat cavalier and
under-informed when it comes to Internet security, specifically in location-based services and mobile phone transactions.
Letting the world know that you are away from home may be an invitation to cybercriminals.
As people are
heading to parties, going to visit out-of-town relatives, or hitting the
malls this holiday season, "geo-location" (telling people where you are
via your mobile phone or social network) is a potentially risky
activity, yet a scant 15 percent of people surveyed knew enough about
geo-location to be able to explain it. This suggests that mobile
Internet users may be engaging unknowingly in risky online behavior.
Nearly one quarter of the respondents (22 %) who use their mobile or
smartphones to connect to the Internet, admitted to giving applications
on those devices permission to identify their location. In addition, 56
percent of people surveyed under the age of 35 said they update their
social networking status with their location, which can inadvertently
broadcast to real-world criminals that they're not at home.
"Giving away
your location is a potential 'gateway' that people should be aware of
and think about," said Chatzky. "The only people who need to know that
you're out-of-town, or not where you usually are, are your family, close
friends and maybe a trusted neighbor. Technology is changing so fast,
that many people may not even be aware of the various ways they're
opening themselves up to potential financial losses."
"Not-So-Smart" Phone Usage
Mobile security
is an issue that consumers admit they take for granted. Nearly 4 in 10
(38%) consumers who access the Internet via their mobile or smartphone are checking their bank account and making online purchases, and more
than half (51%) are using their Internet-connected devices to check or
make updates on social networking sites.
Despite the
prevalence of mobile Internet activity, one in four people accessing the
Internet this way aren't sure, or haven't even thought about, what safe mobile practice is, while another 42 percent have only a "general
idea" of what constitutes safe practices. In addition, 52 percent of
those people accessing the Internet via their mobile devices don't use
the basic level of protection of having an access password in place on
those devices.
"There are so
many simple steps people can take online to protect themselves from
identity theft, credit card loss and real world threats, and still stay
connected," said Chatzky. "As the Internet becomes an even bigger part
of our daily lives, I hope people will start taking Internet security
more seriously than they are today. Unfortunately, that's not what we're
seeing in the data."
Holiday Tips before Plugging In
- Protect your mobile phones - As
people increasingly store and access financial information on their
mobile devices, they should also be using password protection, but for
those who don't, tools like the new Norton Mobile Security beta application allow Android smartphone carriers to remotely lock or wipe data from their phones if they are ever lost. - Before you "plug in," think about who you could "let in" -
It's fine if you need to connect to the Internet on the go; however,
always assume that someone could be eavesdropping on your Wi-Fi connections.
Never enter sensitive data (bank account information, debit card or
social security numbers, etc.) when browsing the Web via a public Wi-Fi
network. Norton DNS,
a free tool that can be downloaded onto most computers and smartphones,
does a quick check on each site to make sure that it isn't a bad site
that's phishing for your personal info. - Make a list, check it twice! Credit card fraud isn't so nice - Use
one specific credit card for all your online shopping. This will limit
your liability if a cybercrook steals your credit card number.