Security Awareness Level of Smartphone Users: An Exploratory Case Study

Abstract

As smartphone technology becomes more and more mature, its usage extends beyond and covers also applications that require security. However, since smartphones can contain valuable information, they normally become the target of attackers. A physically lost or a hacked smartphone may cause catastrophic results for its owner. To prevent such undesired events, smartphone users should be aware of existing threats and countermeasures to be taken against them. Therefore, user awareness is a critical factor for smartphone security. This study investigates the awareness level of smartphone users for different security-related parameters and compares the awareness levels of different user groups categorized according to their demographic data. It is based on a survey study conducted on a population with a different range of age, education level, and IT security expertise. According to the obtained results, in general, the awareness level of participants is fairly low, which needs considerable improvement. In terms of age, the oldest group has the lowest level followed by the youngest group. Education level, in general, has a positive effect on the awareness level. Having knowledge about IT is another factor increasing the security awareness level of smartphone users.

Smartphone Security Awareness, Perceptions and Practices: A Welsh Higher Education Case Study

“…1 Smartphone awareness and learning should occur at an early stage of the educational journey. This study supports Koyuncu's [1] research which suggests that there needs to be a collective effort supported by governments, nongovernmental organizations, and others to ensure cybersecurity safety and security is adequately introduced at an early age. Security literacy and awareness and in particular smartphone security literacy and awareness programmes should be offered [20] throughout the curriculum.…”

“…Technological advances have always impacted societies. However, it is expected that in the next decade its growth will be exponential and will have a transformational impact on the way people work and play, affecting all areas of our lives [1]. Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chair of the World Economic Forum (WEF), based in Geneva, coined the term "The Fourth Industrial Revolution" (4IR) at the WEF meeting in Davos in 2016, and published a book with the same title.…”

“…Hypponen's [9, p. 5] law: "whenever an appliance is being described as being 'smart', its vulnerable", is a fitting portrayal of this situation. Statistics show that there has been a dramatic increase in the volume and complexity of new mobile security threats [1], emphasizing the importance of mobile security awareness. A higher level of alertness is being required as lives become extensively connected to various devices, from mobile phones, cars, and light switches to home security cameras, and smart speakers [3].…”

“…It is clear that some important indicators of secure behaviour and awareness were limited. User security awareness is a critical factor for smartphone security behaviours [1]. Mylonas, Kastania and Gritzalis [18] contend that users are not adequately prepared to make appropriate security decisions when downloading applications.…”

Security Awareness of End-Users of Mobile Health Applications: An Empirical Study

“…Security awareness is mostly measured by end-users feedback via survey or questionnaire-based studies such as [17,32]. The authors of [26] conducted simulation exercises as controlled experiments to understand participants' behaviours and reaction corresponding to their security awareness about potential threats.…”