French mobile users even more affected by cybercrime

While mobile cybercrime keeps on rising, smartphones owners are not careful enough. 41 % of the French smartphone users have been a victim of cybercrime in the past twelve months, compared to only 29% in Europe and 38 % worldwide, according to a Symantec study.

While the French are more affected by mobile cybercrime than their European counterparts, there is also a need for them to be more educated and informed about mobile security, according to this new Symantec Group report.
The global online survey, conducted by the editor of the Norton security software in 24 countries among 13,022 adults aged 18 to 64, took place between July 4th and August 1st.

There is indeed a high level of connectivity for mobile users in France, as people ” have an easy Internet mobile access, thanks to accessible offers ” says Laurent Heslault, director of security strategies at Symantec. This is linked to Free Mobile challenger which has lowered market prices. That could explain why mobile users are more targeted by cybercriminals than it is the case in other countries. Mostly, 60% of French mobile users do not know that there are security solutions for mobile devices.

Moreover, the use of social networks is different according to the various countries: while parents constantly remind their children not to talk to strangers in public places, 43% of social network users in France contact people they do not even know – compared to 38% in Europe and 31 % worldwide.

Last but not least, 40% of social network users in France report sharing their passwords with other people, which is more than the European average (30%) and the global level (25%).

Finally, the French internet users use public or unsecured wireless networks with too much confidence: 34% of them use these non-secure connection modes to check their bank accounts – against 26 % in Europe and 29% in the world – or to make online purchases.

To avoid becoming the next target for cybercriminals, be careful about what you publish on the Web. Use the services of a VPN when you surf on the Internet and that, regardless of the place you are: all your Internet activities are anonymous and protected by a complex military coding type, using open VPN and PPTP VPN. In addition, through the virtual VPN tunnel that you establish, your secure VPN connection appearing as a connection from your selected country, you will change & hide your IP address. This is true if you connect from your computer, your mobile phone or tablet. And you can use free WiFi networks without your computer taking the risk that your traffic is intercepted.

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