Interpreting Users’ Perceptions of Mobile Security Methods and Their Effectiveness

Richmond Adebiaye

The increasing adoption of open source operating system (OS) platforms, such as Android and iOS, have opened up new security vulnerabilities and threats to mobile devices and other wireless access technologies. Recent statistics show that mobile networks around the globe “generate exceedingly over 86 exabytes of traffic annually”. Thus, mobile security vulnerabilities and threats such as SMS spam, rogue apps, adware, malware, cyber-attacks and unlawful eavesdropping have become an ever-increasing problem for mobile users around the world. This paper proposes a quantitative research survey to investigate mobile device security and the implications of security application recommendations for its users. The objective is to identify increased security risks, and recommend best security practices for mobile users. To obtain quantitative values, web-based questionnaires using the Likert scale were used, and data processed by factor analysis, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis tabulated along a continuum in numerical form. The study thus identifies and reveals the impacts of smartphone security threats such as mobile adware, rogue application downloads, and considers the suitability of smartphone security solutions offered by various vendors. This paper provided insights into users’ problems of malware, attack channels, black industry ‘chain of smartphone security’, and accessibility to smartphone security solutions introduced by mobile vendors. As this study adds to the available body of knowledge, it is anticipated that future research will continue to advance the available information regarding rogue applications, adware, malware, and other security threats related to mobile technology.

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