75 million smartphones in the US don’t have their passwords set on
TransUnion’s latest Cyber Security Survey confirmed that Americans who feel extremely or very concerned about cyber threats have increased 20 percent since last year – from 46 percent in 2015 to 55 percent in 2016. Fears are legitimate – hacking and cyber security have even become one of the main topics in the presidential debates between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
If you think this is surprising keep reading, the most shocking part of the survey is not the fact that its’ findings confirm the notion that we are constantly under cyber danger/attack – we already know that. The most shocking part is the facts that despite the increasing fear, nearly 50% of the participants admit that they don’t take actions to protect their content.
Nearly half of the people who participated in the survey admitted they don’t lock their phones with a password.
Let us translate this for you – currently there are nearly 320 million people legally living in the USA with about 225 million of them being adults. More than two thirds of the adults living in the US have smartphones. If the statistics are right, a quick math shows there are more than 75 million people in the US whose smartphones don’t have their passcodes set on. This is scary! This means two out of the three Kardashians don’t have passcodes on their phones! What could go wrong? We will let Kim and Kanye tell you.
What should you do?
Setup a password on your cell phone.
We all know what the consequences of identity theft are – unless you want a stranger buying a car in your name, or leasing a property in a city you’ve never heard of using your SSN, you should go find your phone and setup your password on, right now. Then add a recurring reminder on your calendar to change it frequently!
Admit the problem.
The threat is real and hundreds of thousands of peoples’ lives are being ruined by hackers stealing their precious information. Having a lock on your phone might be a good beginning but it does not solve your problem entirely.
Find a solution that works best for you.
The option we recommend is Panda Security Antivirus.Downloading your copy of Panda Security antivirus will protect you from getting your email hacked, and it will keep your credit cards, personal information and cell phone safe.
According to TransUnion about 1 million people will call TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Department in 2016. Let’s hold hands together, be more protective of our personal information and decrease the number of calls they get by practicing common sense. It’s natural to want to protect ourselves, but it is hard to wish to protect what we have if we don’t realize that the threat is real. The most astonishing results come from taking practical, protective actions before things go wrong. Let’s not get to the point where we are in need of calling the fraud department by acting now and protecting our personal information early rather than late.