Are We Privacy Hypocrites?

People are becoming more aware (and worried) about securing their personal information on their devices, yet few are taking even the most basic steps to protect theirs, a new study finds.

Security software Trend Micro said its recently-commissioned study found that 40% of mobile users do not use a password to protect their devices, while 67% of the consumers let their browser(s) save their password when they are on the Internet.

Password protecting your device is one of those “bare minimum” steps you can take to protect your data. It’s amazing that everyone isn’t doing this. But wait, it gets worse:

According to the study, 28% allow mobile apps to access their social media profiles. Social media is an increasingly popular way for thieves and fraudsters to ply their trade – often using the information gained on social media sites to gain valuable insights into potential victims of con rackets and identity theft.

Allowing apps to access these sites is taking an already vulnerable situation and making it even friendlier to thieves.

With all this careless behavior in evidence, it’s actually surprising that only 10% of mobile users believe they have downloaded a malicious app to their device, according to the study.

Trend Micro said it has released a new security solution — Trend Micro Security 2015 – that it said protects PC, Mac, Android and now iOS platforms. They are certainly not the only game in town for security, so you should shop around and find the best solutions for protecting your data, (CNET.com is a good place for doing that).

In the meantime, be sure to password protect any device that you use to store or access sensitive information. Avoid using notoriously insecure public WiFi connections if you can, (yes, we know how convenient they can be) – particularly when you’re doing things like accessing your online banking or payments services.