54% of users in Latin America do not protect their phone with a password

A new study by Kaspersky Lab found that more than half (54%) of users in Latin America do not protect their mobile devices and only 22% use anti-theft solutions. These statistics show that people are leaving their devices – and the growing amount of valuable data they contain – within the reach of anyone.

Currently, many people use their mobile devices to access the Internet and conduct online activities, for example. What is losing a device because of a crime is potentially more harmful and annoying than ever before. For example, 76% of people in Latin America report using the Internet regularly on their smartphone (compared to 75% in 2016) and 31% regularly use a tablet to connect and browse.

As such, they are stored on these devices and send them various types of important and confidential data. The study shows that (41%) of the region's inhabitants use their smartphone to conduct online banking transactions, which, of course, gives access to extremely useful financial information for both the user and the user. and for criminals. In addition, 64% of people regularly use their smartphones to access their personal email accounts and 68% say they use it to monitor their social networks, facts that involve a large amount of confidential data.

Having a large amount of valuable data on mobile devices does not necessarily make people cautious and cautious when using their devices, since only about half (54%) of users in the region are protecting their devices. mobile devices with pbadwords and only 15% encrypt their files and folders to prevent access by cyber criminals. So, if these devices fall into the wrong hands, all the data, from personal accounts, photos, messages and even financial details, could be accessible to criminals.

Even the loss of pbadword-protected devices can have significant consequences. For example, less than half (47%) of people save their data, and only 22% use anti-theft features on their mobile devices, which means that older owners of these devices will likely suffer

"We love all our Connected devices because they give us access to vital information, from anywhere and at any time, these are valuable items that criminals naturally want to have in their hands. There are some very simple things everyone can do to protect their devices and the information they keep. With the application of pbadword protection and the use of a robust security solution, including anti-theft protection, you can protect your personal information. online accounts against loss and misuse ", Dmitry Aleshin, vice president of product marketing at Kasper sky Lab.