Data from a new survey suggests that the digital and physical lives of people are now fully intersected.
In a McAfee survey that looks at the important parallels between personal and online security, 39% of respondents say they use technological devices to control their home security systems and 34% use smartphones to do so.
Commissioned by The Futures Company, the joint survey of over 1 000 consumers shows that more than 51% of respondents reported having their personal security compromised through both physical and online breaches.
When asked to define “personal security”, about 77% of survey participants consider it to intertwine both physical and online security, providing further insight that our digital and physical lives have merged into one.
Device proliferation has made digital security increasingly important – critical even – as our identities and personal devices are more susceptible to security breaches. While 31% of respondents of the survey say their smartphone presented the most potential for security risk and 49% stated that their computers are more vulnerable, 41% still fear losing smartphones most in a public setting.
Although this is the case, respondents did not seem too concerned with protecting them, and many are comfortable sharing their passwords with others.
Two in three smartphone users (67%) and tablet users (65%) report that they protect their devices with a password, yet nearly half (49%) admitted to sharing their password with at least one other person, risking their personal security and all the data found on their device.
Since over 33% of people use their devices to control to their physical alarm systems, and more than half of them fail to secure their devices with basic protection like private passwords, it seems our need for awareness in security is great as the need for security itself.
Among those who have experienced a home break-in, 59% reported a computer or mobile device among stolen items – leaving their personal data in the hands of thieves. Reportedly, an estimated 1,6-million Americans have their smartphones stolen in 2012.
This is especially important considering 30% of Android and Windows smartphone users and 50% of iPhone users don’t lock their mobile devices.
“In today’s always connected digital world, our entire lives are managed and are accessible across our devices,” says John Giamatteo, senior vice-president and GM of McAfee consumer business.
“With the Internet of Things rapidly evolving, our partnership with ADT marks a critical advance in protecting consumers’ property and information in more ways than ever before.”