‘Smartphone users neglecting security’
Sindhu.Hariharan@timesgroup.com
Chennai:29.10.2019
Indian consumers may be regularly upgrading their smartphones, but hardly 10% of the user base invest in a protective security solution for their phones.
Even as the smartphone market reaches record highs when other consumer-facing sectors are in a crossroads of economic slowdown, less than 6% buyers spend additionally (an amount often just 10% of the mobile cost) on a paid anti-virus solution for the device, a recent techARC study of over 10 million smartphone users shows.
While user attention is focused on security threats on personal computers and laptops, cybersecurity analysts say mobile devices are more vulnerable.
“Given the kind of data a smartphone consists, and widespread use of social media and banking transactions on mobile devices, the risk of cyber threats to mobile devices is 10X that of PCs,” Satyajit Sinha, research analyst, Counterpoint Research, said. According to a recent study by Counterpoint, smartphone vendors too pay relatively little attention to operating system (OS) and security updates, with less than one-third of the sub-$200 smartphones updated to the latest version of Android.
Cybersecurity specialists say phishing campaigns, mobile malwares, credential thefts, ransomwares, SIM swapping, and other new-age attacks are increasing across mobile devices on both Android and iOS. Further, the fragmented nature of the Android market means a lot of vendors do not provide the latest OS versions for older models, further exposing users to vulnerabilities.
Mobile security solution providers say at the heart is lack of awareness of the kind of crippling attacks possible on a mobile, and users’ belief that it won’t happen to them.
For home-grown cybersecurity enterprise K7 Computing, for instance, just about 2% of their total customer base of over 10 million are for mobile anti-virus solutions, as majority consumers are focused on buying solutions for their PCs and laptops. “Most smartphone users don’t think security software is a must, but with lines between personal and professional user of smartphones blurring, they need to be secured,” K Purushothaman, CEO, K7 Computing, said.
Ritesh Chopra, director, Norton LifeLock India, says that though the company offers mobile protection tools at scale, and has made large inroads through tie-ups with Jio and Airtel, there is still a lag in adoption of the free service by consumers through the telco apps. “Users often wait for incidents to happen to them to realise the significance of privacy and data security,” Chopra said.
Even flashlight apps today seek irrelevant permissions to SMS inbox, and it is hence important for users to thoroughly scan through developer details to weed out malicious apps, says Rahul Tyagi, co-founder of cybersecurity startup Lucideus.
Some countries are also more vulnerable than others, Petter Nordwall, director - mobile product management, Sophos, says. A recent survey by the cybersecurity company showed that globally, while nearly one in ten (10%) threats were discovered on a mobile device, in the Indian market, this number almost doubles to 19%.
LESS THAN 6% PROTECTED
Sindhu.Hariharan@timesgroup.com
Chennai:29.10.2019
Indian consumers may be regularly upgrading their smartphones, but hardly 10% of the user base invest in a protective security solution for their phones.
Even as the smartphone market reaches record highs when other consumer-facing sectors are in a crossroads of economic slowdown, less than 6% buyers spend additionally (an amount often just 10% of the mobile cost) on a paid anti-virus solution for the device, a recent techARC study of over 10 million smartphone users shows.
While user attention is focused on security threats on personal computers and laptops, cybersecurity analysts say mobile devices are more vulnerable.
“Given the kind of data a smartphone consists, and widespread use of social media and banking transactions on mobile devices, the risk of cyber threats to mobile devices is 10X that of PCs,” Satyajit Sinha, research analyst, Counterpoint Research, said. According to a recent study by Counterpoint, smartphone vendors too pay relatively little attention to operating system (OS) and security updates, with less than one-third of the sub-$200 smartphones updated to the latest version of Android.
Cybersecurity specialists say phishing campaigns, mobile malwares, credential thefts, ransomwares, SIM swapping, and other new-age attacks are increasing across mobile devices on both Android and iOS. Further, the fragmented nature of the Android market means a lot of vendors do not provide the latest OS versions for older models, further exposing users to vulnerabilities.
Mobile security solution providers say at the heart is lack of awareness of the kind of crippling attacks possible on a mobile, and users’ belief that it won’t happen to them.
For home-grown cybersecurity enterprise K7 Computing, for instance, just about 2% of their total customer base of over 10 million are for mobile anti-virus solutions, as majority consumers are focused on buying solutions for their PCs and laptops. “Most smartphone users don’t think security software is a must, but with lines between personal and professional user of smartphones blurring, they need to be secured,” K Purushothaman, CEO, K7 Computing, said.
Ritesh Chopra, director, Norton LifeLock India, says that though the company offers mobile protection tools at scale, and has made large inroads through tie-ups with Jio and Airtel, there is still a lag in adoption of the free service by consumers through the telco apps. “Users often wait for incidents to happen to them to realise the significance of privacy and data security,” Chopra said.
Even flashlight apps today seek irrelevant permissions to SMS inbox, and it is hence important for users to thoroughly scan through developer details to weed out malicious apps, says Rahul Tyagi, co-founder of cybersecurity startup Lucideus.
Some countries are also more vulnerable than others, Petter Nordwall, director - mobile product management, Sophos, says. A recent survey by the cybersecurity company showed that globally, while nearly one in ten (10%) threats were discovered on a mobile device, in the Indian market, this number almost doubles to 19%.
LESS THAN 6% PROTECTED
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