With the summer holiday season well underway many families will be getting ready to jet off to sunnier climates, and a new study from ESET has revealed that a quarter of holidaymakers will be packing as many as eight gadgets into suitcases this year, however almost 40 percent of those devices will not be password protected leaving them wide open if they to fall into the wrong hands.
The survey, which was carried out in June 2016 at Infosecurity Europe and studied the attitudes of over 350 IT professionals, also revealed that on average families will take between £1500 – £3000 worth of technology on holiday this year, which likely means that the gadgets they are taking abroad are worth more than their entire trip. However, when respondents to the survey were asked if security of personal and work devices is something they consider before going abroad, shockingly 31 percent said it was not.
Commenting on the survey findings, Mark James, security specialist at ESET, said: “Our study highlights just how obsessed we are today with our gadgets, even when on holiday. However, what I find most concerning about our survey is the fact that the respondents were security professionals and I would expect them to know better than to dismiss security entirely when on holiday. What people really need to think about is the impact it would have on them if someone was to snoop around their gadgets and the data and information they would find. The cost of the device is one thing, but the data and memories it holds is something else entirely.”
Other findings from the study revealed that 55 percent of respondents take both business and personal devices abroad and that 13 percent have lost a business or personal device while on holiday. Respondents were also asked if they were able to remotely wipe the devices they had lost abroad, however over half said no.
“The only one line of defence someone has if they lose their device while abroad is having the ability to wipe it remotely. The functionality means that anyone who finds the devices will not be able to access the data stored, look at pictures or run up costly bills. My advice is always to take security of gadgets into consideration before going abroad. After all, I can’t imagine there are many people who would be happy at the thought of someone snooping through their devices and looking at all of their personal messages, emails and photos,” concluded James.
