A survey from Kaspersky Lab has found 27 per cent of Australians are not interested in using Internet banking on their smartphone or tablet.
Kaspersky Lab A/NZ managing director, Andrew Mamonitis, said this is an increase from the 17 per cent recorded in last year’s Consumer Security Risks report.
“The study highlights that Australians have a general awareness of a host of online threats,” he said.
67 per cent of respondents attributed the distrust to mobile devices being just as vulnerable to cybercrime as desktop and notebook PCs.
“They are mindful that the businesses they entrust their information with are subjected to the same online threats as home users,” Mamonitis said.
Only 23 per cent of respondents said they felt safe from online threats when browsing the Internet using their mobile device.
When it comes to social networks, 16 per cent admitted to share more information than they probably should have, while six per cent had a tendency to converse privately with strangers online.
Covering up the camera
With incidents such as the iCloud celebrity photo leaks, Kaspersky has found people are starting to cover up their webcams due to fears of cybercriminals monitoring them.
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14 per cent of Australian users have covered up the notebook or desktop PC camera, while only five per cent have done it with mobile devices.
Overall, 84 per cent of local respondents have never covered the camera on their digital devices.
Mamonitis said this practice is more common amongst younger respondents, as they tend to bemore conscious of their online activities.
“While this awareness has revealed some positive trends, this is tempered by consumers developing skewed ways of viewing what is ‘secure’,” he said.
Globally, 21 per cent of users cover up their webcams because, and in countries such as China the number reaches 40 per cent.
Patrick Budmar covers consumer and enterprise technology breaking news for IDG Communications. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_budmar.
