The most dangerous time to use a smartphone is after 11pm after drinking and using the London Underground’s central and district lines.
Research by Trend Micro of 2,500 adults throughout the UK, found that 26 per cent had lost their device on the tube, while 25 per cent was on the central and district lines. Also, 22 per cent said that they had lost a device in a bar, while 18 per cent lost a device between 11pm and 6am and 18 per cent had lost the device in the bar itself.
Rik Ferguson, global VP security research at Trend Micro, said: “The survey shows a worrying attitude of carelessness towards work devices and an ignorance of the full impact of losing data without the correct security measures being put in place.
“It is the duty of a business to ensure they’re educating their employees on the secure use of mobile devices to prevent sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. Employees should take the same amount of care with their work device as they do with their personal ones, and be made fully aware of the procedures and risks before a device is given to them. In the event of theft it is critical to contact the company IT department who may be able to prevent the thief from accessing critical business information.”
The survey further found that 63 per cent have no password on their device, while 61 per cent of those who use a smartphone for work have no secure login for it. Asked why, three per cent of respondents were concerned about the theft of corporate data while 55 per cent don’t worry much or at all about losing intellectual property.
James Walker, EMEA product marketing manager at Trend Micro, said that if personal devices are permitted to be brought into the workplace, users need to know the policy and how to act responsibly. “It is the responsibility of the C-suite to make sure it is understood, but it is not one thing it is a whole realm of things,” he said.
Vinod Bange, partner at international law firm Taylor Wessing said: “The results from this survey demonstrate that education is required to help employees understand the importance of protecting corporate data on mobile devices and notifying their employer should a breach occur.
“Organisations that are unaware of data breaches will fail to take the right steps to manage the situation which will diminish their ability to protect customers and avoid monetary penalties or contractual claims from third parties.”
