Mobile Device Users Who Rely Solely on Default Security Are in Danger, Bitdefender Study Reveals

A mobile security solution seems like the norm, or at least it should be the norm, but our market research shows that just a little over half of respondents have a security software installed on their phones, leaving the rest at great risk.

There was a time when security solutions had only one job: to scan files and folders people copied onto their devices. It’s still an important job for a security solution, but the threat landscape has become so complex that scanning downloaded files is now only a small part of what needs to be done to keep people safe.

Bitdefender commissioned a study to investigate several aspects related to the security of netizens, including having a security solution on their mobile device. The findings are encouraging, but they also underscore a misconception. Some people don’t think they need a security solution, and others don’t even know it’s an option.

Default security is not enough

The main reasoning of respondents who don’t use a security solution on their mobile devices is not uncommon: They think they don’t need one. After all, they don’t usually download files, they only install applications from the official stores, and they might not even conduct sensitive transactions.

The truth is that, if anything, all of this makes people more vulnerable and more susceptible to becoming a victim. The fact that they don’t download anything onto their phones means there’s a good chance they won’t recognize something dangerous when they need to download.

Our findings show that only 55% of people use a mobile security solution, which is not bad, but the situation is more complex.

It’s not a certainty that those 55.5% actually have active protection on their devices. Many Android smartphones vendors pre-install “security,” but these solutions typically expire after a trial period. And many users likely postpone their purchase, forget, or refuse to buy altogether.

But the same study shows that 78.3% of respondents said they use their mobile device to do banking, access healthcare data, manage investments, trade crypto – in general, to manage important data and/or conduct sensitive transactions.

There’s a 20% gap between people who installed security solutions and people who use the phone to deal with sensitive information, and that’s the sweet spot hackers look for.

Official stores are safer, but not completely safe

It’s easy to imagine that official app repositories, such the Google Play Store, are completely safe. Users are not really to blame for thinking this. To be fair, such app repositories are a lot safer than third-party websites, but they are not immune.

Criminals and hackers invest a lot of time and effort in methods that let them squeeze past whatever protections are in place, and they sometimes succeed. Bitdefender found malicious apps with millions of downloads in the official Google Play Store many times and alerted the company. Furthermore, Google itself often purges dangerous apps from the store when they find them, but it doesn’t mean that they get them all.

A security solution such as Bitdefender Mobile Security that not only scans the apps download from the store, but also watches their behavior, is an incredible security boost for any mobile device.

The same security solution will also display warnings to users when they receive dangerous messages, will protect users as they browse the web, and will ensure that their sensitive transactions remain private. And all of this is just a small part of what Bitdefender Mobile Security offers.

Mobile devices have become prevalent in our daily lives, and in many ways they are used more than computers. People use them to show, to store sensitive information, to speak with friends, to manage finances and so much more. It makes sense to want to protect them as much as possible and to install a security solution that can offer peace of mind.