Study
reveals that even IT professionals don’t care about security when they are on
holiday
London, UK - Summer 2016 - With the summer holiday season well
underway many families will be getting ready to jet off to sunnier climates,
and a new study from internet security firm ESET has revealed that a quarter of
holidaymakers will be packing as many as eight gadgets into suitcases this
year, however almost 40 percent of those devices will not be password protected
leaving them wide open if they to fall into the wrong hands.
The survey, which was
carried out in June 2016 at Infosecurity Europe and studied the attitudes of
over 350 IT professionals, also revealed that on average families will take
between £1500 - £3000 worth of technology on holiday this year, which likely
means that the gadgets they are taking abroad are worth more than their entire trip.
However when respondents to the survey were asked if security of personal and
work devices is something they consider before going abroad, shockingly 31
percent said it was not.
Commenting on the survey
findings, Mark James, security specialist at ESET, said: “Our study highlights
just how obsessed we are today with our gadgets, even when on holiday. However,
what I find most concerning about our survey is the fact that the respondents
were security professionals and I would expect them to know better than to
dismiss security entirely when on holiday. What people really need to think
about is the impact it would have on them if someone was to snoop around their
gadgets and the data and information they would find. The cost of the device is
one thing, but the data and memories it holds is something else entirely.”
Other findings from the
study revealed that 55 percent of respondents take both business and personal
devices abroad and that 13 percent have lost a business or personal device
while on holiday. Respondents were also asked if they were able to remotely
wipe the devices they had lost abroad, however over half said no.
“The only one line of
defence someone has if they lose their device while abroad is having the
ability to wipe it remotely. The functionality means that anyone who finds the
devices will not be able to access the data stored, look at pictures or run up
costly bills. My advice is always to take security of gadgets into
consideration before going abroad. After all, I can’t imagine there are many
people who would be happy at the thought of someone snooping through their
devices and looking at all of their personal messages, emails and photos,”
continued James.
ENDS
This survey was carried
out in June 2016 and studied the attitudes of 352 IT professionals who attended
Infosecurity Europe.