Just in time for Christmas parties, a new study from an internet security firm suggests that tens of thousands of mobile phones and laptops go missing in UK bars each year. Many, 64 percent of the devices do not have any security protection installed, which means anyone can gain access to the contents they hold.
As part of the study ESET phoned over 600 bars across the UK in order to establish how many phones and laptops are found each year. The results showed that on average 12 phones or laptops will be found in each bar across the UK annually. Most, 83 percent of the bars involved in the study revealed that the majority of devices they find do get reunited with their rightful owner.
Mark James, security specialist at ESET, said: “As we head into the festive season offices will be preparing for Christmas parties, which will inevitably involve alcohol consumption and people dropping their guard more than usual. This could also mean people taking work laptops and mobile phones along to parties and, based on the figures from our study, accidently forgetting them when they leave for home. While the majority of the devices in our study do get returned to their owners there is still a high chance that those with no security protection are accessed by intruders. As our laptops and mobile phones begin to carry more and more sensitive information and are linked to bank and work accounts there is a greater need to protect them because the risks are much higher should the devices ever fall into the wrong hands.”
The study found that upon finding a device 61 percent of bars made contact with the owner by accessing it, while only 18 percent said they handed the device into the police. In addition to this, when survey respondents were asked if they had a snoop around the device if they found it unlocked; 60 percent admitted to doing so.
“While it is fantastic news that so many of the devices in our study got reunited with their owner what people need to ask themselves is what information did the person who found the device access before it was returned. I imagine the majority of people who find a phone or laptop will actually have a look around and see if there is anything of any interest or value to be found. What people need to start asking themselves is – could any of the data held on my mobile or laptop compromise me either personally or professionally if it fell into the wrong hands? If the answer is yes, which I expect it will be, then security on your device must be a priority, not an afterthought,” aded James.
When survey respondents were asked about unusual items left behind in bars over the last year some of the most alarming objects included:
Someone’s ashes
A child
Numerous pairs of shoes
A tree
An inflatable sheep
A giant picture of a horse
Comment
Craig Young, senior security researcher at Tripwire, said: “The first thing most people think of when considering the possibility of a lost or stolen smartphone is that it will be expensive to replace, but the fact of the matter is that in the wrong hands the data stored on many smartphones can be far more valuable than the hardware itself. Passwords, location history, personal photos, and even financial information often linger in the smartphone storage making them a prime target for identity theft and other crimes. Consumers need to understand the gravity of losing their smartphone data and take advantage of security features on their devices that can minimise the risk posed by a lost phone.
“First and foremost, everyone with a smartphone should enable lock screen security on their devices as the most basic precaution. Ideally, this means a strong password/PIN or perhaps a fingerprint rather than a simple pattern unlock. For additional protection enable device encryption to further reduce the risk of unwanted access to sensitive personal information. The latest versions of Android and iOS both enable encryption by default but some older devices it may require the user to explicitly turn this feature on. If encryption is enabled along with a strong lock screen protection, information stored on the device will be protected from all but the most sophisticated attackers.”
