Symantec Analyzes What Data is Accessed from Lost Smartphones
By Rob Scott
March 12, 2012
March 12, 2012
- Symantec designed a clever study to help determine what happens to private information after a smartphone is lost.
- As part of the Honey Stick Project, researchers recently “lost” 50 smartphones in public areas of Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington DC and Ottowa, Canada.
- Each phone was equipped with GPS tracking and a variety of generic “personal, neutral and corporate” apps. None of them were outfitted with passwords.
- “While only 25 of the 50 smartphone finders made any attempt to contact the owner and return the device, the more shocking details of the study dive into how privacy is violated after the phone is lost,” reports Digital Trends. “Nearly 90 percent of the devices showed at least one attempt to access the apps within the personal category.”
- “The social networking and email applications were accessed on 60 percent of the devices and the online banking application was accessed on more than 40 percent of the smartphones,” notes the article. “A file named ‘HR Salaries’ was accessed on over half of the phones and another file called ‘HR Cases’ was accessed on 40 percent of the sample group. A ‘Remote Admin’ application was accessed on nearly half of the smartphones and a corporate email application was opened up on 45 percent of the devices.”
- Symantec recommends using a password or a “draw to unlock” pattern for security. The company suggests using security software “to remotely lock the device or wipe the data from the phone,” and for businesses, encourages formal policies regarding company-issued phones and increased employee education on data protection.
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