Tag: m-commerce security

Mobile security threats still making consumers wary of shopping on smartphones

| November 24, 2015

Though m-commerce is still growing at a rapid rate, there are many who are holding off because they feel insecure.

According to a report that was recently issued by a leading global data erasure solutions and mobile device diagnostics firm called Blancco Technology Group, mobile security remains a barrier that is standing in the way of the willingness of many consumers to take part in shopping activities over their smartphones.

The study was based on the results of a survey in which 1,400 mobile users participated from four countries.

The research suggested that the low level of mobile security precautions that have been taken by smartphone users is not only placing their personal info at risk, but it has also made it possible for corporate data exposure. This places both forms of sensitive data at risk of cyber attack and theft. Even though both legislative authorities and consumers, themselves, have been demanding improved responsibility over data management and accountability by companies, 29 percent of the people who participated in the study confessed that they did not know when their personal info was being accessed over their mobile devices without their specific consent.

This suggests that consumers are in the dark about their own mobile security but want companies to look after it.

Mobile Security ProblemsAccording to Blancco Technology Group IT security consultant, Paul Henry, “There is no excuse for not knowing what is happening with your data – be it personal information on a user’s smartphone or tablet, or company files and intellectual property on those same mobile devices.”

The research results also underscore the issue being faced by businesses as they attempt to create products and services in order to enhance the customer experience. At the same time that they want to produce highly personalized and relevant experiences for their shoppers, they are still faced with the challenge of having to keep that customer data secure against the attempts from cyber thieves to capture it.

Among the survey respondents, one in three stated that they felt somewhat confident about their security of their mobile devices, but at the same time, they didn’t feel safe enough to use their smartphones for shopping. Another 23 percent named mobile security as a barrier to linking their credit cards to mobile apps such as shopping applications and digital wallets.

M-commerce isn’t as secure as 82 percent of the British would like

| August 12, 2014

A recent survey has shown that consumers from the U.K. don’t feel safe shopping or paying with their smartphones.

While the promise of m-commerce and mobile payments has been a large one, recent events in digital security have caused a considerable amount of harm to the confidence that consumers in the United Kingdom are feeling toward the safety of the technology.

The Heartbleed security flaw had a particularly damaging impact on consumer trust in mobile shopping.

Recent research from a firm called Intercede has revealed that following the Heartbleed online and mobile security issue, only 18 percent of consumers in the United Kingdom feel confident that their use of m-commerce and smartphone based payments are actually secure. The same survey showed that more than half – 53 percent – of shoppers in the U.K. say that they would never use mobile banking services, while many among them avoid using any form of financial services over their smartphones – including money transfer apps, shopping sites, and PayPal.

Twenty four percent of the surveyed consumers would not feel safe shopping over m-commerce.

UK mobile commerce - not as secureOver half are already avoiding using mobile apps for money transfer, and 75 percent of those who stated that they were worried about experiencing data loss in case they should ever have their smartphone stolen, said that identity theft was their largest concern.

According to the Intercede CEO, Richard Parris, “Nearly every week we read about another high-profile hacking story in the news.” He added that “From major attacks such as Heartbleed to eBay’s recent data breach, it’s not surprising that consumers just don’t trust mobile security. This is throttling the mobile economy. But with the mobile device boom set to continue, it’s clear that security needs a radical revamp.”

The survey results were quite interesting when looking at the responses given from the various age groups. While it was expected that those in the age bracket of 18 to 24 might be those that were most likely to be comfortable with m-commerce and payments, concerns over mobile security of financial and personal information spanned all of the age groups. As a whole, 54 percent expressed concern regarding the security of their smartphones. That said, it was the 13 to 24 years old age group that were the most distrustful when it came to smartphone based banking and financial services.