Around 23,000 devices go missing every month, finds Kaspersky Lab

The holiday season is upon us, and that means that millions of people are getting ready for a trip abroad. And while they are on holiday, many will be taking the opportunity to capture precious memories of their time away. In fact, according to Kaspersky Lab’s consumer research, one-in-five (18 per cent) say photos and videos of their travel are the most important forms of data on their devices, with this type of data trumping all others. However, in additional research by the company, 28 per cent said that if they lost their devices, or had them stolen, they would never be able to replace those precious holiday photos.

According to stats, the Anti-Theft feature in Androids is launched an astounding 1.5 times every minute on average, and an average 23,000 Android devices are being reported lost or stolen a month. With photos of travel being rated the most important to users, out of all other data stored on their devices, people are today warned to treat their precious holiday snaps with care, by properly protecting the devices they are captured and stored on across the summer season. Otherwise, their photos may join the ranks of the lost and stolen.

Another study has shown that overall, four per cent of people around the world have lost a device or had one stolen. What’s more, for over half (57 per cent) of those people, it’s Android devices that were affected, followed by laptop computers (29 per cent) and Apple iPhones (21 per cent). Worryingly for consumers, on average a lost or stolen device can cost $485 to replace.

With simple and effective anti-theft tools available, consumers now have the chance to turn on their device’s alarm if it gets lost, lock and locate their device remotely, or even take a secret mugshot of the culprit if their device has been stolen. Yet despite the risks, and the availability of these security options, Kaspersky Lab research shows that only 22 per cent are currently taking advantage of anti-theft features to help protect their devices.

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