Exposure to status jacking problem for 18 to 25 year olds

Gordon Peters
Monday, 27 September 2010 01:38

IT Industry - Market

Many young Australians between the age of 18 to 25, and their counterparts in the US and the UK, share their passwords while less than half password protect their mobile devices, according to a study by security firm AVG.

According to AVG, four out of 10 young adults in Australia, the US and the UK share passwords, and the study also reveals that most are not taking adequate security precautions when it comes to securing their social network profiles.

AVG's study was commissioned to highlight the dangers of 'status jacking', the practice of hijacking status updates on social networks, which it says is particularly prevalent among students and the under 25s.

AVG also says that its research shows the degree to which young adults in all three countries secure the devices that they use to access social networks - PCs/laptops, mobile devices, and handhelds such as iPads.

According to Peter Cameron, managing director of AVG Australia and New Zealand, it is concerning that many people share passwords. 'The fact that most young adults secure their laptops and PCs is positive news, but the most worrying statistic is that four in ten share their passwords, something we do not advise doing.'

Cameron cautions that 'sharing your passwords can leave your social networks open to status jacking and leaves your other online accounts, such as banking, vulnerable to attack,' and, he adds, 'youngsters should secure their handheld and mobile devices as more and more people are accessing social networks via these devices, especially the under 25s.

'You only have to walk away from your mobile for a few minutes for someone to access your email, download your contacts, and to masquerade as you on a social network.'

The research also revealed that:

'¢    While most 18-25 year olds (78%) secure their laptops with a password, less than half (48.3%) password protect their mobiles. This figure drops to 41% in the US. Among British young adults, only 50% secure their mobiles with a password while in Australia just over half (54%) do.

'¢    Barely quarter (25%) put any kind of password security on their handheld devices, such as iPads or Blackberrys.For the UK, 21% do, while for the US (26%) and Australia (27%) the figures are slightly better.

'¢    Most under 25s are aware of the need to use different passwords across different social networks. In Australia 75% of young adults use different passwords, while for the UK and US the figure is 72%.

'¢    Four in ten (39.6%) across the UK (42%), Australia (42%) share their passwords with friends and family. In the US, the figure is over one in three (35%).

'¢    Over one in ten young adults in Australia (15%) and the UK (12%) have accidentally downloaded a virus via a social network. In the UK the figure is 9%.

'¢    Overall, young women are less careful about security than young men. 42% of women under 25 share their passwords compared to 28% of men. Meanwhile, while 81% of men under 25 password protect their laptops and PCs, a quarter (26%) of women don't bother to do so.