How to ensure the safety of wearable devices?

In today's mobile world, industry convergence is more common than ever. With staying connected becoming an important part of everyday life, mobile devices have effectively become the center of modern society. It's not surprising when you understand how our phones and accompanying wearables help us buy products, bank, entertain, capture life's moments, and of course, communicate.

This mobile revolution is not just about business, but governments are a part of it - as evidenced by the rapid adoption of mobile IDs, such as the introduction of mobile driver's licenses in the US. It's clear that mobile devices have quickly become the primary way we engage with the world.

　In many ways, this continued convergence has enabled mobile devices and apps to give brands a whole new way to express themselves. This, in turn, has allowed the use of mobile devices to grow at an astonishing level over the past decade. However, does this pose any risks? Unfortunately, the growth in the use of mobile devices has also created more and more opportunities for cyber attackers.

More and more high-value and security-critical services are now available through our mobile devices (eg mobile banking, payments and ID, etc.). Therefore, hackers also know that successful authentication data obtained from mobile devices can give unauthorized access to sensitive online resources. In particular, hackers will try to access financial details, social network logins, and mobile web account details; all of which are enough to warrant a full-blown identity fraud. This threat is increasingly relevant to us now as app development continues to rise; 90% of companies will increase their investment in mobile apps by the end of this year.

　　In the current situation, there is no doubt that we must protect business resources, as well as IP and users' private data, especially now that a large number of mobile devices are vulnerable to malware attacks. If we ignore this, end users and businesses will be targeted by these attackers, who will become smarter and more innovative. They are very good at spreading malware, exploiting unofficial app stores, infecting emails, distributing fraudulent text messages, infiltrating browsers, and they will not hesitate to exploit any vulnerability. That's why application providers need to be vigilant against these threats, adopting solutions that effectively prevent vulnerabilities and help consumers feel secure.

　　From the perspective of consumers, the development of domestic mobile payment is in full swing. Even the QR code for payment is posted on the roadside stalls. We have long been accustomed to scanning the code through WeChat, Alipay and other apps to complete payment or receipt. payment. Electronic boarding passes are also being adopted by more and more airports in China. But while everyone enjoys the convenience brought by mobile life, I believe that many people have also doubted the security of this emerging lifestyle: Is the communication between these apps and servers safe? Today, when mobile phone viruses are so rampant, if my mobile phone is infected, how can I ensure the safety of funds and sensitive information in these App accounts? If I accidentally lose my phone, how can I avoid being stolen? Problems such as these are difficult for most ordinary consumers to really understand from the technical level, but rely on their trust in service providers.

　　So back to the service provider's point of view, what we have to know is: what does the end user need and where are they vulnerable? How do we know what security solutions consumers will like? These are so important questions that Gemalto commissioned a survey of more than 1,300 adult smartphone users in six major global markets: Brazil, the UK, South Africa, Singapore, the Netherlands and the US.

We asked these consumers to give their mobile usage habits and security expectations. We sought to discover how consumer expectations affect those entities that provide applications and infrastructure for mobile applications and services, including banks, governments, and any other large enterprises that provide applications to users. These findings help us gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to secure the future of the mobile revolution.

Since completing the survey, we have worked hard to summarize and analyze these findings and provide a series of recommendations to help us build greater trust in the mobile ecosystem and bring users a safe and convenient experience. Such experiences will continue the mobile revolution and surprise us all the time without the hassle of hackers.

There are many important findings in this report, here are two:

70% of end users will use digital ID documents, such as passports or ID cards, on smartphones if they know that all applications on the phone are 100% protected;

66% said they would make more transactions on their device if they knew that mobile security was secured on their device.

Obviously, there are still some consumers who are skeptical about mobile security and prevent them from further embracing services such as mobile payment and ID, just as there are many people around us who are reluctant to use WeChat Pay, Alipay and Apple Pay. Of course, this also means that the mobile Internet still has considerable opportunities for further growth. It's just that we need to address the security aspect of how to keep people who are eager to use smartphones more broadly.