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Study shows strong tie between physical and digital security risks

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Soma Tah
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SANTA CLARA, USA: As today marks the sixth annual Data Privacy Day, ADT and McAfee released the results of a survey that takes a look at the important parallels between personal and online security.

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When asked, 39 percent of respondents said they use technological devices to control their home security systems and 34 percent use smartphones to do so. Alongside our appetite for such advanced technologies, so grows our need for protection of the digital devices that control them. Data from this survey suggests that our digital and physical lives are now fully intersected.

The joint survey of over 1,000 consumers shows that more than 51 percent of respondents reported having their personal security compromised through both physical and online breaches. When asked to define "personal security," about 77percent of survey participants consider it to intertwine both physical and online security, providing further insight that our digital and physical lives have merged into one.

Leaving the Door Open to Security Risks

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Device proliferation has made digital security increasingly important - critical even - as our identities and personal devices are more susceptible to security breaches. While 31 percent of respondents of the survey said their smartphone presented the most potential for security risk and 49 percent stated that their computers are more vulnerable, 41 percent still fear losing smartphones most in a public setting.

Though this is the case, respondents did not seem too concerned with protecting them, and many are comfortable sharing their passwords with others. Two in three smartphone users (67 percent) and tablet users (65 percent) report that they protect their devices with a password, yet nearly half (49 percent) admitted to sharing their password with at least one other person, risking their personal security and all the data found on their device.

Since over 33 percent of people use their devices to control to their physical alarm systems, and more than half of them fail to secure their devices with basic protection like private passwords, it seems our need for awareness in security is great as the need for security itself.

Among those who have experienced a home break-in, 59 percent reported a computer or mobile device among stolen items - leaving their personal data in the hands of thieves. Reportedly, an estimated 1.6 million Americans have their smartphones stolen in 2012. This is especially important considering 30 percent of Android and Windows smartphone users and 50 percent of iPhone users don't lock their mobile devices.

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