What makes Australians paranoid about phone security
35% of us are worried our phones will be used for identity theft.
Australians are a worrying bunch when it comes to mobile phone security, and with good reason, according to the latest research.
A study by finder.com.au revealed two-thirds (66%) of Aussie smartphone users assign a security pincode to their device in order to protect their identity, financial details, photos and social media accounts.
This means one in three (34%) devices are vulnerable and unprotected.
Australians are most worried about offenders appropriating, stealing or defiling their identity (35%) or defrauding them of their finances (33%).
Lesser concerns surround kids misusing parents' devices (17%), work safety (5%) and relationships (6%).
Analysing generational differences, Baby Boomers are most worried about their financial details being compromised, with more than half (52%) securing their phones to protect this data.
Generation X (35%) aren't as concerned with financial security and Generation Y (20%) even less so.
These younger generations are more paranoid about veiling inappropriate or private images, with one quarter of Gen Y (25%) enabling password protection.
Cyber security lecturer Ali Dehghantanha at the University of Salford says leaving phones unsecured is among the top seven major causes of security breaches and your mobile number is all a hacker needs to start the attack. Find out how to protect your device and discover which defence solutions work.
Buying a new phone? Compare a range of postpaid and prepaid mobile plans to find the best value deal.
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