Most People Who Find a Lost Phone Will Attempt to Access Its Data

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In a recent study conducted by Symantec Corp, it was revealed that those people finding a mobile phone are highly likely to access the information stored on the device. This means that losing your phone is not only inconvenient and a financial loss, but that it also presents something of a security risk.



As part of the study, the research team purposely ‘lost’ 50 smart phones in five major cities across North American and Canada including New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco and Ottawa. The devices were rigged up with a number of fake apps and GPS tracking devices which would allow the team to track everything that whoever picked up the phone did while they had it. The study revealed that a massive 96 percent of people tried to access the phones when they picked them up, with 89 percent accessing personal apps and information.

The biggest concern was that only half of these people attempted to use this information to return the phone. It was also revealed by the study that 6 out of 10 finders attempted to access social media accounts or email which 8 out of 10 tried to access corporate information. There were 50 percent of finders who tried to gain access to banking details when picking up the lost smart phones.

The results of the Symantec Corp study are not only startling, but according to Bloomberg Business week Technology it presents a very real risk not only to individuals but to businesses who may well find that their business information is leaked through mobile devices issued to employees. In our every more technologically dependent society, more and more businesses can be accessed via smart phones issued to their employees who are increasing the risk of a security breach in the event of these devices being lost or stolen.

Companies are being forced to look at ways of improving security measures when it comes to allowing employees to access company files from smart phones and tablet devices. One of the ways that businesses and individuals alike may want to consider if they have concerns over their phone being lost or stolen and their information being compromised is investing in cell phone tracking software such as mSpy. This software not only tracks the phones physical location with the help of GPS, but will also record exactly what the person picking up the phone does with the device. Many of these tracking applications can also allow you to send SMS commands to the device which will either lock the phone or even wipe it clean thus protecting the data stored in it. Businesses can especially benefit from this software, as even if the phones are never misplaced or stolen the software can still be used to monitor how employees use the devices, which helps to combat the problem of company phones being abused for personal use.