Smartphone owners unaware of malware risks

Smartphone owners are only dimly aware that their expensive devices could be targeted by emerging types of mobile malware, a Europewide survey has found.

The survey by security company Kaspersky asked 1,600 smartphone owners in the UK, France, Italy and Spain found that only 27 percent were ‘highly concerned’ by the risks, with the rest either unconcerned or unaware of any danger.

This was despite the fact that a third stored sensitive data such as PIN numbers, passwords and user names on their phones with about the same percentage using it for online bank access. Few users bother to set a password for smartphone access.

Only about half of those asked knew that antivirus software was available for smartphones, with barely one in ten using it.

Part of the explanation might lie with the different smartphones platforms used by people. Apple iPhone users might believe that their device is unlikely to be successfully attacked thanks to Apple’s closed App Store, which claims thorough app vetting. Disappointingly, Kaspersky’s survey steered away form breaking down how owners on each platform saw the malware risk.

Meanwhile, the most significant malware so far reported has affected just one platform, Android, but the survey could be taken to suggest that even these users are still ignorant of the recent rise in attacks. It is still early days.