Almost a third of consumers feel unsafe shopping on mobile apps

The use of mobile devices for shopping is increasingly becoming the norm. But, as we approach the year's peak shopping season, a new survey reveals that many consumers are worried about shopping with their mobile devices and providing credit card information to mobile apps.

The study from Blancco Technology Group of more than 1,400 consumers in the United States, Canada, UK and Australia, finds that 28 percent of consumers feel completely unsafe shopping from a mobile device, while two out of 10 are hesitant to link credit cards to mobile apps.

Over half (52 percent) of respondents say that they are most fearful of having their financial information accessed without their consent, followed by user names and passwords (19 percent) and photos and videos (11 percent).

Yet despite these fears people continue to indulge in risky behaviour. 29 percent of respondents admit that they don't know the last time their mobile data and personal information was accessed without their consent. They're prepared to risk information on insecure networks too, 18 percent say they access public WiFi networks from their mobile device for work-related activities. Plus, 11 percent are inclined to create and review content exclusively from their smartphones and tablets.

There's also a belief among 25 percent that simply deleting sensitive files or folders and locking devices with a passcode will safeguard their mobile data and personal info. However there's also a desire to do the right thing, with 89 percent expressing an interest in purchasing a technology solution that can wipe sensitive data from their mobile device permanently.

Pat Clawson, CEO, Blancco Technology Group says, "The study's findings point to a larger mindset shift that needs to take place. Both individuals and businesses cannot simply confine their understanding of security to the scope of devices or IT assets. Instead, they need to approach it from the perspective of information management across the entire lifecycle -- from the moment information is created to when it's transferred to where it's stored, and finally, to how it's removed permanently (not just 'deleted')".

The full report is available to download from the Blancco website.

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