"Consumers don't seem to be so concerned, but privacy advocates like us are seeing big risks for exposure of personal information," said Nikki Junker, social media coordinator for the Identity Theft Resource Center, also based in San Diego.

 

Poor security habits may be related to the device itself: A tiny keyboard with multiple screens can be difficult to navigate for the precise digits of a good password, which usually consists of letters, numbers and symbols.

 

This lack of security comes as identity thieves have turned their attention to smartphones.

 

The Identity Theft Resource Center's Nikki Junker gives several smart tips for how consumers can achieve better smartphone security practices. Read the full article on smartphone security at the Star-Telegram website here. 

 

Businesses and mobile application developers can make their mobile apps and mobile websites more secure and easier for people to use by integrating image-based authentication technology rather than relying on cumbersome passwords for authentication.