Author: Lucy

Intel Security is now calling for improved cybersecurity education resources in the United Kingdom.

Hundreds of thousands of university students in the United Kingdom use no mobile security whatsoever on their smartphones. As a result, they are living their devices – and everything they contain – at a high risk of unauthorized access.

Intel Security is hoping to reach more students with a message of the importance of adequate mobile protection.

This year’s estimates were that there were more than 420,000 students in the United Kingdom headed to university with the start of this school year. However, a new Intel Security poll has pointed out that only half of them will have packed adequate smartphone protection with them when they go. This means that the other half of the university students in the U.K. have no mobile security software installed to protect their devices and their data.

With no mobile security software, these students are placing their devices at a very real risk.

The reason is that among those who took part in the poll, 90 percent said they log onto public WiFi. Those hotspots are accessed both on campus and off campus. This activity places them at a much higher exposure to mobile security threats. Without any protection software, they are essentially an open book for unauthorized parties to read.

Furthermore, according to the most recent data from the McAfee Labs Quarterly Threat Report, mobile malware is increasing at an explosive rate. Year over year, these mobile cybersecurity threats have risen by 150 percent.

On the other hand, while students may not have protected their devices yet, they are willing to learn. University students in the U.K. have expressed a desire to discover more about why having no mobile security is risky. They are also willing to learn more about related issues. Forty eight percent of the 1000 students who participated in the survey said they would be willing to attend an online security seminar if one were available.

According to Nick Viney, Intel Security VP consumer, this is a positive step, “Yet its concerning that many are still opening themselves up to risks unknowingly. When it comes to students’ online safety, we all have a responsibility.”

Both PayPal and Visa announced that the credit card service would soon be available to the platform’s merchants.

Visa and PayPal have both announced that Braintree mobile payments using merchants will soon have access to Visa Checkout. Braintree is PayPal’s payment processing company catering to online companies. Some of the more notable brands using these mobile payments include Uber, Pinterest, Airbnb and Evenbrite.

With Braintree, merchants can accept a spectrum of different types of online payment options.

The Braintree mobile payments platform lets merchants accept transactions by way of a mobile app, online and in-store. Soon, it will also include Visa Checkout as an option. In this way, Visa cardholders will be able to make a payment to these merchants using any connected device. Visa Checkout is already being used by several online merchants including Walgreens, Best Buy and Starbucks.

A statement from the credit card company pointed out that Visa Checkout will bring familiarity to Braintree mobile payments.

Visa senior vice president of digital solutions, Sam Shrauger, said “With the Visa card at the center of the payment experience, Visa Checkout brings familiarity and trust to digital shopping offered by Braintree’s customers — some of the most innovative merchants driving eCommerce and mCommerce today.” He also added that Visa is “thrilled” with their new partnership with Braintree and PayPal for improving the way credit cards work on any connected device.

Merchants in the United States will gain access to Visa Checkout through the Braintree SDK in early 2017. The seamless integration of that SDK makes it possible for merchants to enable new buying experiences and payment options. At the moment, there are 14 million consumer accounts with Visa Checkout as well as thousands of merchant accounts.

This new agreement between PayPal and Visa has arrived at a time when some of the heat has eased in the rivalry between the two companies. They announced a strategic partnership in July. That brought the largest global payment network together with the biggest digital payments network. With Braintree mobile payments there will be improved choice for consumers paying with PayPal accounts. The companies feel this is taking them both “on a new path.”