Parents Need to Have "The Talk" About Smartphone Security with Their Kids

SAN JOSE, Calif., and WASHINGTON, D.C., March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- NQ Mobile Inc., (NYSE: NQ), a leading provider of consumer-centric mobile security and productivity applications, and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a non-profit public-private partnership focused on cybersecurity awareness and education for all digital citizens, today released findings from a recent consumer survey(1) that shed light on how parents think and act in order to protect the mobile privacy and security of their children.

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The newly released findings show that a majority of parents have not talked to their children about protecting their privacy when using a mobile phone (56%), or talked to their children about security measures for their phones (63%).

The survey also found that while the majority of parents (71%) are aware of parental controls that can help protect their kids by monitoring usage, establishing time limits and blocking websites, apps, GPS location, and access to personal data, 60% have never used them. Of those surveyed, moms were more comfortable and more likely to have actually used parental controls.

"Too few parents are talking with their children about malware, hacking and other threats to mobile security and privacy," said NQ Mobile co-Chief Executive Officer Omar Khan. "That is no surprise, when many adults don't feel they know enough to protect themselves. Talking to your kids about how to protect the personal information on their phones, however, is every bit as necessary as having 'The Talk' about 'the birds and the bees.' Smartphones can provide a young person with independence and information. Used carelessly, they can also provide hackers, bullies and thieves with access to your child's personal information, expose them to theft, and even track their location. Parents need to learn more about threats like this, and the very real steps they can take to protect their whole family."

Parents whose kids own smartphones tend to be less aware of security threats and mobile security solutions that combat those threats than parents whose kids don't own smartphones. This surprising result may suggest that parents who are highly aware of mobile threats are so concerned they decide not to give their children phones at all.

Overall, parents who are more aware of and concerned about security threats and privacy issues are more willing to talk to their children about them.

"As smartphone use increases, more and more parents are going to be buying mobile devices for their children at earlier ages, and we want to make sure they are armed with enough information to make safe, sensible decisions," said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. "A young person who is responsible enough to own a smartphone, can also take responsibility for protecting their phone and the information on it. Some security measures are simple and straightforward: create strong passwords and don't share them with friends or anyone but your parents, exercise caution in sharing personal information online, don't lose or misplace your phone. We always encourage digital citizens -- especially young ones -- to take an active role in learning safe practices and behaviors, and follow three simple steps: STOP. THINK. CONNECT."

NQ Mobile recently released the latest version of its award-winning antivirus software, Mobile Security V6.0 for Android. The state-of-the-art in mobile protection, NQ Mobile Security V6.0 includes several features designed to help parents protect their children's mobile lives:

• Award-Winning Mobile Security: Fights malware, spyware, phishing, viruses, hacking, and more.  
• Privacy Protection: Protects the data stored on your phone, ensuring that your social networking, email, and financial accounts can't be hacked and your personal calls can't be recorded.
• Anti-Theft/Anti-Loss: Remotely locates, locks*, or deletes* information from a lost or stolen mobile device, and sounds an alarm to help you find it.
• Backup and Restore: Safely and seamlessly stores your contacts so you can easily access them from any Web browser.
• System Optimization: Provides control over running apps and power consumption.
• Traffic Monitoring: Provides real-time updates on data usage and caps on maximum data usage.
• Anti-eavesdropping protection*: With Anti-eavesdropping, users can be sure their calls are not being recorded by third party apps or viruses.
• Financial security protection*: When users access financial websites via their system browser or start e-bank/securities apps, NQ Mobile Security V6.0 automatically scans all running apps to determine if any active apps pose a security risk.

For additional information about the survey, and to view a full copy of the survey report, please visit NQ Mobile's blog at http://www.nq.com/blog/?cat=53. Regular updates will also be posted on NQ Mobile's Twitter and Facebook pages.

About NQ Mobile

NQ Mobile is the international brand of NetQin Mobile Inc. (NYSE: NQ), a leading global provider of consumer-centric mobile Internet services focusing on security and productivity. The company was one of the first to recognize the growing security threats targeting smartphone users and is now a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider with over 120 million registered user accounts worldwide. As a market leader in mobile security, NQ Mobile's innovation and global significance have been widely recognized through distinctions such as the 2011 Technology Pioneer Award bestowed by the World Economic Forum. For more information on NQ Mobile, please visit www.nq.com.

About The National Cyber Security Alliance

The National Cyber Security Alliance is a non-profit organization. Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, the mission of the NCSA is to empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely and safely protecting themselves and the technology they use and the digital assets we all share. NCSA works to create a culture of cyber security and safety through education and awareness activities. NCSA board members include: ADP, AT&T, Bank of America, Cisco Systems, EMC Corporation, ESET, Facebook, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Google, Intel, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services, McAfee, Microsoft, PayPal, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Symantec, Verizon and Visa. Visit http://www.staysafeonline.org for more information and join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/staysafeonline.

(1) In support of Data Privacy Day 2012, NQ Mobile and NCSA previously announced results of their online survey of 1,158 smartphone-owning consumers conducted in December 2011, which showed that while almost three-fourths of American consumers are aware of -- and concerned about -- security threats to their smartphones, they aren't always taking active measures to protect their mobile lives. The survey included 500 parents of children under the age of 18.

* Denotes premium feature. Consult application for rates.

SOURCE NetQin Mobile Inc.