According to the Kaspersky Consumer Security Risks survey carried out by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab in Summer 2013, every sixth user has experienced loss, theft or catastrophic damage to a portable digital device – a laptop, a smartphone or a tablet – in the last 12 months. But users aren’t just losing their devices, they’re losing their valuable personal data as well.
Laptops, smartphones and tablets have long been an irreplaceable part of everyday life – at work, at home relaxing, or while socializing with friends and relatives. But what if a laptop, a smartphone or a tablet gets lost, stolen or damaged? What happens to all those holiday photos, the video of your child’s first steps, correspondence with old friends; and passwords for social network sites, e-pay and online banking accounts, and email accounts? Could they realistically disappear along with the device?
According to the survey, mobile devices are regularly lost, stolen or damaged: over 16% of respondents reported at least one of these troubles over the last 12 months. A closer look reveals that 9% of the users’ devices were irreparably damaged, 3% of gadgets were lost and 4% were stolen. This data confirms that the loss or theft of a mobile device is a common problem. But apart from the loss of the gadget itself, what problems does the owner face?
According to the survey, the following types of data are stored on mobile devices:
personal photos and video: 76% of smartphone and 65% of tablets
personal email correspondence:. 64% of smartphone and 61% of tablets
Passwords to social network accounts and email accounts: 22% of smartphones and 23% of tablets.
work emails: 32% of smartphones and 28% of tablets
business documents: 20% of smartphones and 29% of tablets
Financial information, specifically passwords to online banking accounts: 10% of both smartphones and tablets
In other words, people store all types of information on their mobile devices, and the value of the data is often more valuable than the device itself.
Losing this data more than just distressing. If sensitive data may also fall into unfriendly hands, the consequences could be disastrous: your company’s confidential information might be circulated; your own accounts on social networking sites, email services and online banking systems may be compromised. Fortunately, there is a reliable and convenient way to dramatically reduce the risk of further crises.
Technologies vs Theft
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is a solution developed to protect the world’s most popular mobile platform. In addition to its advanced technologies, which detect and block cyber-threats, the software also includes a number of functions that prevent valuable user data from falling in the wrong hands. It can even help to find and recover a lost or stolen device.
The Lock & Locate function can block a missing device and identify its location using data received from the smartphone or tablet’s GPS;
Data Wipe completely deletes all data stored on the device;
The Mugshot function can secretly take a photo of anyone using the missing device and send it to the police;
The SIM Watch module allows the owner to block the mobile device or delete its memory even if the SIM card is replaced.
All remotely operated features are accessible via Anti-Theft Web Management, a convenient, web-based control center which allows the owner to access the lost device from a computer or any other mobile devices. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to return a stolen or lost device – and the information stored on it – to the rightful owner. However Kaspersky Internet Security for Android can ensure that valuable personal information does not fall into the wrong hands.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is available at the official Kaspersky Lab site, on Google Play and as part of Kaspersky Internet Security – Multi-Device, a security solution designed to protect you across all of your devices.
