The smartphone is a tricky device and sometimes the lines between master and servant are blurred. On one hand we control our phone and all that it does for us, and on the other hand we trust it with pretty much all of our secrets. Emails, text messages, Facebook and Twitter accounts, sometimes even our bank account. Most of the time the only thing that keeps that information from getting out is a simple home screen passcode; a feature 48% of smartphone users don’t even have setup.
Aside from the obvious risks of someone physically taking our phone and controlling our lives, there are the darker and more sinister threats to your phone’s safety. Mobile malware threats are way up 163% and more than 50,000 new threats have already been discovered. more than 21 million mobile devices have been infected this past year in 2013, mostly from disguised apps, sketchy URLs and SMS phishing scams.
For more on the risks of your smartphone (butt-dialing included) take a look at this infographic. Let us know what you think in the comments and don’t forget to like and share.
“Smartphone” image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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