Symantec researchers intentionally lost 50 smartphones in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Ottawa, Canada in public places such as elevators, park benches and food courts. The lost devices contained corporate and personal data such as passwords and email.

Before the phones were left behind, each one had been equipped with logging software to record what files and apps had been accessed and GPS tracking turned on to monitor the device’s physical location.

The Symantec researchers discovered inside a current smartphone study. What is even worse, whoever finds it’ll most likely snoop about taking a look at pictures, emails as well as other private info, Symantec stated.

Individuals had been most likely to access delicate individual and company information stored on them, like password data files, private pictures and e-mail messages, Although 50% from the finders attempted to send back the devices towards the owners listed within the get in touch with file, they nonetheless succumbed towards the enticement to spy about beforehand, Symantec stated. About 89% from the finders viewed individual information and 83% accessed business-related information stored on lost smartphones, Symantec discovered.

None from the smartphones within the study had any type of password or other security controls enabled to shield the information. About 57% of individuals who discovered the phones viewed personal files named “saved passwords”. About 60% checked individual e-mail inboxes and accessed online community tools on the telephone, and 72% opened a folder marked “private pictures.”

Thinking about that only half from the devices had been ever returned, customers require to think about that if they ever shed their phones, they would end up exposing all of their info, accounts and company information to strangers. Having usb protection could help secure the data.

Organization need to put a guideline in place to address the best way to wipe data before a device is replaced and to work with their employees to have their old deviceswiped before they are disposed of in the secondary market.

Oliver David writes and contributes articles for Data Security Weekly and other blogs on secure usb drive review.