Don’t share your smartphone with friends or family

41% of South Africans take no “precautions” when sharing their Internet-connected devices with other people. This is according to research by Kaspersky Labs.

“They see no risks associated with sharing these devices even though it can significantly increase the chances of data stored on the device being lost or stolen,” the security group said.

Besides the risk of data theft or damage, lending your device – such as a smartphone – to a friend can open it up to a cyber attack.

“Nobody can be entirely sure that other users are sufficiently aware of cyberthreats: an inexperienced user may fall for a scammers’ bait or download a malicious executable file. Sharing a computer or smartphone increases the risk of malware infection, data loss or account theft.”

The research showed that 32% of South African respondents shared devices with other adults in their household, 8% gave them to their children, while 4% allowed colleagues and other acquaintances to use their devices.

Always keep backup copies of important files, concluded Kaspersky.

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