38 percent Indians don not use password on phones

A survey by Norton said that 72 percent of the online population in India possesses at least one mobile phone, which is less than the number of people who own a computer (92 percent).

The company recently released a survey on Indians' mobile phone usage habits, the importance of their personal information, and their level of understanding when it comes to mobile security.

While 90 per cent of respondents access the internet via their computers, almost half of the population (48 percent) use their phones to access the internet, highlighting the evident need for Indians to stay connected. The top online mobile phone activities include social networking (60 percent), reading the news (44 percent) and online messaging (42 percent). These activities are closely followed by mobile banking and payments (34 percent), location-based tasks, including navigation (25 percent) and online shopping (24 percent).

Though 60 percent Indians acknowledge mobile threats are real, almost 38% of the mobile users in India do not use passwords to protect their phones, a very simple action that can help to protect personal information in the event of loss or theft of the device, the survey said. Additionally, 17 percent are not aware if they can remotely track their phone using GPS navigation software. These findings somewhat reflect the lack of mobile security knowledge among Indian mobile users, the survey said.