50% of technology users do not use measures to protect their privacy

• According to a study carried out by the cybersecurity company S2 Grupo, through its blog Hijosdigitales.es, only 8% admit to covering the webcam and less than 18% check the permissions requested by the apps.
• Experts from S2 Grupo have reported that mobile phones have become one of the main targets of cybercriminals and it is essential to consider them as computers. For this reason, the main way to prevent being infected with malware is to install a suitable antivirus.
• Other recommendations are to download apps only from official stores, not to install .apk files and not to connect them to public USB.

Valencia, June 26, 2019. - Smartphones are one of the main targets of cybercriminals in 2019, so S2 Grupo reported that it is essential to reinforce security measures in the use of these devices. According to a survey conducted from their Hijosdigitales.es blog, 50.7% of the users of mobile phones, computers, etc., claim not to use any measure that protects their privacy. Company experts have pointed out that the theft of personal photos or videos as well as other high-value data such as passwords of social networks, banks, etc., are some of the main cyber-hazards that can affect us. "We already announced it at the beginning of the year and we have seen it in the news that have appeared in recent days: smartphones have become one of the main targets of cybercriminals and they act by distributing malware through apps, mainly", said José Rosell, managing-partner of S2 Grupo. "It was to be expected that this would happen because the mobile phone accompanies us all day and is one of the devices that we use most to perform operations on the network and contains a lot of confidential information, such as photos and passwords, which are of great value for cybercriminals", explained Miguel A. Juan, managing-partner of S2 Grupo. The survey conducted also shows that only 17.9% of users check the permissions requested by apps installed on their phones or tablets. S2 Grupo reminds that these must be reviewed to verify that the permits they request are consistent with the function they will perform. For example, it is not logical for a flashlight app to request access to contacts or WiFi for its functionality, but to the camera to use the flash. Along with this, 33.8% admit having given sensitive information to some apps, but not knowing that this could involve some risk. However, 16.6% stated that they did give this type of information knowing and assuming the risks that may run. Finally, only 8.6% claim to cover the webcam of their devices when they are not using it. In this regard, experts from S2 Grupo explained that there are different types of malware that can cause the camera to start up without turning on the indicator light and this could pose a serious risk to privacy because intimate scenes could be recorded without consent or knowledge of the person. Recommendations for preventing malware on the smartphone Experts from the Malware Laboratory of S2 Grupo have explained that one of the main measures that can help us prevent a mobile phone from being infected by any type of virus is, as is the case with computers, by installing an antivirus that is well-functioning and updated. In addition, other actions are recommended such as:

1. Download applications only from official stores.
2. Do not use .apk files because they may be infected. These are usually found on the Internet and their "hook" is to offer the Premium features of an application without having to pay.
3. Review comments from users of the application
4. Check that the permissions requested by the apps are consistent with their intended function.
5. Do not connect the Smartphone to a public USB because they may be infected.
6. Do not access "sensitive" information, such as social networks, if a public Wi-Fi is used.

More information: prensa@s2grupo.es