IT security workers are not using
passwords on mobile devices despite sensitive company
information residing on them.
According to a survey of 227 IT professionals carried out at
Infosecurity Europe this year, 35% of them said they do not get
around to password protecting mobile devices.
Security supplier Credent, which carried out the survey, said
this means IT workers are only slightly more secure than the
general public. The company found in an earlier survey that 40% of
the general population secure mobile devices.
These unprotected devices contain a variety of data types.
A total of 80% said they contained business names and addresses,
66% personal names and addresses, 23% business emails, 16% personal
e-mails, 12% bank account details, 12% business diary with details
of all their appointments and meetings, 7% personal diary, 5%
credit card information, 4% photos and 1% passwords and Pin
numbers.
Andrew Kahl, co-founder at Credent said: "It is alarming to note
that the very people who are responsible for IT security are not
much better at protecting the information on their business phones
than most of their co-workers, who don't necessarily know any
better."
He said businesses are in breach of the
data protection actif they do not protect certain data.