Following the news about the new research from Visa has revealed that the number of consumers regularly using a mobile device – whether a Smartphone, tablet or wearable – to make payments has tripled in the past year. Mark James, Security Specialist at ESET commented below.
Mark James, Security Specialist at ESET:
“Mobile usage in all areas has increased massively over the last few years, it is definitely now a very integral part of our everyday lives. So, it’s no surprise that mobile payments are now becoming more widely used and now we have integrated biometric authentication into our phones it definitely makes it a lot safer for the end user to utilise that technology to their advantage. The mobile phone is often the first thing that people check for when leaving the house followed by keys and wallets or purses.
Using a mobile device is so easy, from getting the payment card on to the phone through to actually making the payment and much like credit cards, often too easy. Phone manufacturers want your device to be the very centre of your digital life; it interacts with us throughout the day and often is used to wake us first thing in the morning. It makes sense that our finances will also be controlled and managed from these devices and we will definitely see more and more companies making it easy for us to pay on mobile devices. But let’s not forget security, it is very important to understand the risks of using your phone for payments, boarding passes and everything else we do. Ensuring you have enough battery to complete those tasks may be a challenge, also remember to be mindful of who knows your security code or even worse has a fingerprint to access your device.”
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