Tag: smartphone security

A new UK consumer survey reveals that most British mobile users are not concerned about security.

The survey from internet security company, ZenMate, carried out by OnePoll, found that many UK smartphone users are rather apathetic when it comes to mobile security, which may come as a surprise to some, considering one would think that the average mobile user would find it important to protect personal and sensitive data on their device, especially with the number of cyber attacks on the rise.

Less than half of the survey respondents said they protect their phone’s browsing data or connections.

The survey, which had 2,000 participants from the United Kingdom, also discovered that over 45% of those who participated admitted that they do not even implement basic security measures for their devices, such as using a passcode lock. In other words, if their smartphone was lost or stolen, the thief or whoever finds their phone would be able to gain instant access to their apps and other information.

Furthermore, only 41.5% of participants said they take precautionary measures when using their mobile phone for online browsing and when using public networks that are unsecured. To further back up this finding, a recent report by Ofcom revealed that, on average, people do not typically think twice about security when accessing public Wi-Fi.

According to University of Warwick Professor Harjinder Lallie, setting up rouge access points is fairly simple. He added that “Because this is so easy to do, it’s a major problem is that most people don’t make the most basic checks about the access point they are connecting to –such as ‘is this a secure connection?’ and ‘does it belong to whom it claims to belong to?’”

Only 35% of participants said mobile security is their top concern when browsing online.

Of the survey respondents that made up the 18-24 age group, while 35% said privacy was their major concern when surfing the web via their smartphone, 44.6% said that speed is more important to them than privacy. Moreover, 77% said they regularly use unsecured public W-Fi.

The co-founder of ZenMate, Simon Specka, said that with so many people using public Wi-Fi, it means that more consumers are increasing their risk of opening themselves up to cyber criminals, and most of them are completely unaware of it. He added that if consumers want to access unsecured networks via their mobile device it is prudent to have mobile security protection.

The antivirus software company has purchased a mobile app startup.

Avast has announced that it has acquired Inmite, a Czech-based mobile app developer, to help it become more mobile friendly and improve the mobile security it offers.

Inmite has developed several apps in the past for a variety of diverse companies.

The company has previous designed apps, particularly third party consumer apps for mobile television, mobile banking, a car purchasing app for škoda, and even apps for Google Glass. Previously it has also partner with Google and SAP.

According to Vince Steckler, Avast’s chief executive officer, Inmite’s 40 developers will essentially be revamping Avast’s user interface (UI). Steckler said that Inmite “primarily make consumer apps for third parties, so they have a heck of a lot of expertise in simplifying things.” The Avast team will grow to 80 as they hire on the additional 40 expert app developers.

Avast was founded in Prague in 1988 and has offices around the world in the U.S., China and Germany, but its main headquarters is located in the Czech Republic.

Avast is aiming to make its mobile security software more user friendly.

A problem that many mobile security companies face is creating a practical app that is easy for consumer to use. Avast is hopeful that buying a company that is known for building innovative mobile apps could help it appeal to more mobile users. The challenge will be to build an application that is quite complex but that will be easy for consumers to understand how to use.

Steckler stated that “Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting smartphones and tablets – and consumers want our solutions to protect them from Wi-Fi attacks, phishing threats, or having their device lost or stolen.” He added that consumers want the freedom to know that when they use their device, it is safe in their hands. The company believes that Inmite will be able to meet the needs of its users around the world.

In addition, even though Avast does not really have any interest in integrating its software into third party devices or apps, it is interested in developing add ons. More specifically, it is interested in creating mobile security features that will improve the security of applications.