Smartphones are our new best friends. We trust our phones with all our secrets. But how safe is our phone, really? This infographic presented by NQ Mobile highlights smartphone privacy and explains ways in which smartphones can be hacked.
Throughout the years, some of the world’s most publicized scandals were revealed by a simple cell phone hacking. The lesson is clear: Whomever controls your phone can control your virtual identity.
Nonetheless, many consumers don’t take the basic steps that can prevent hacking of their smartphones. Passcodes or other access authentication methods are employed by just 52% of users, and one out of three users who lost a smartphone or had it stolen failed to increase their phone protection. Without proper protection, malware is also a major concern. Mobile malware threats are up 163% in 2012, according to NQ Mobile. More than 50,000 new threats have already been discovered with more than 21 million devices infected this year alone.
To put in bluntly, we need to treat smartphone privacy in the same manner we treat protecting our homes and vehicles. Check out the infographic below to learn more. And, if you're a Verizon Wireless customer and are ever a victim of a phishing scam, please email phishing@verizonwireless.com with all the details.
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Photo Credit: Sean MacEntee via Compfight cc