Information Security and Phone Users
CMGT/441

Information Security and Phone Users
Infosecurity magazine released an article today December 3, 2012 titled “Phone Users Worry About Security, but Won’t Pay for It. Information security is heavy on most people’s minds these days. The running risk of identity theft, hacking, and viruses leaves people feeling uneasy at times, but often they are also considering the risk to the information stored on or used with their cell phones. The people who are considering the information security with their cell phones are more often than not, unwilling to pay for it, and that is what that article addressed.
The Statistics
The article discusses a survey done of 1026 cell phone users in the UK (United Kingdom), most of them did express a concern about information security within their mobile device . Of those 1026 users, 38% (389.88 users) felt it would be the service providers fault if there was an information security breech. 32% (328.33 users) felt they would most likely blame themselves if their information was stolen, while 18% (184.68 users) would blame the cell phone manufacturer. When questioned further, a startling 68% of users were unwilling to pay for information security, and 24% were unwilling to pay more than £1 (about $1.30) per month to pay for added security, that is a total of 943.92 people.
The Attitude
This is interesting information, it is curious why people who are clearly concerned about the possibility of their information being stolen would be unwilling to pay for a service or software to protect it. Peter Doggart, a gentleman referenced in the article, felt these statistics reflected general confusion toward security. He stated “Smartphone users, like most people, don’t think about the security of their devices until they’ve been hacked”. This attitude about security is a bit disheartening. If people are unwilling to pay for security before being hacked and then more likely to simply switch providers after being hacked, the real issue never gets dealt with. The good news for people thinking this way in the US is that there is plenty of Information Security software available for free, or for a low onetime cost.
The Conclusion
There is no excuse for leaving information unsecure, even on a mobile device. Simply waiting around wondering if they will be hacked until they get hacker and then switching providers, as though this will solve the problem, shows a complete misunderstanding of the actual issue. Until people are better educated about information security, this will most likely remain a common trend, people will continue to wonder if their information is safe but not protect themselves.
References
Phone users worry about security, but won’t pay for it. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/view/29624/phone-users-worry-about-security-but-wont-pay-for-it/