Mumbai: A recent report released by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International pointed out that over one-third young internet users between the age of 16-24 face greater risks of losing access to their online accounts, as they are more prone to lose devices as compared to adults.
According to the research, over one-in-four young Internet users lost their devices (17 per cent) or had their devices stolen (13 per cent), with a third losing access to their online accounts, or suffering from a loss of data privacy as a result.
While one-in-seven users (14 per cent) have experienced the loss or theft of a device, the figure rises to 26 per cent among users under the age of 24.
Of the 16 to 24 year olds affected, 83 per cent say they suffered negative consequences afterwards, slightly higher than the overall average of 77 per cent.
Moreover, one-in-four (25 per cent) has suffered the permanent loss of precious personal images and videos, along with the leaking of personal and sensitive information (24 per cent).
A fifth of users overall were disciplined at work after having their device lost or stolen, because the device in question contained business data (22 per cent). In addition, a fifth noticed that financial details stored on the device had been misused (21 per cent).
When affected by loss or theft, to protect themselves, only four-in-ten blocked the device through their mobile operator or reported the incident to the police, and only 29 per cent remotely wiped the device or tried to track it down using ‘find my device’ software (15 per cent).
Commenting on the findings, Evgeny Guryanov, Product Manager at Kaspersky Lab, said, “Mobile devices have become central to our lives. They are like friends that we carry everywhere with us. Most of us store sensitive and personal information on them, whether that is pictures of our family, online banking details, personal email messages or passwords to access our daily lives.”
“Yet, it is easy for our devices, when lost or stolen to become digital enemies. Device loss or theft is not just an inconvenience but a breach of your very identity and privacy. It is therefore imperative that it is, at the very least, password protected, that all sensitive data is encrypted, and that mobile security apps are up to date”, he added.
