HCM CITY — Smartphones have overtaken PCs as the main gateway to the internet for users across the Asia-Pacific, but the growing amount of sensitive information stored on mobile devices is raising concerns that cybersecurity habits are not keeping pace, according to Kaspersky’s latest Asia-Pacific survey, which includes Vietnamese respondents.

The survey found that 72 per cent of respondents across APAC consider a smartphone their primary device for accessing the internet. In Việt Nam, the figure was 71 per cent.

As smartphones become people’s primary digital companions, they are also holding increasing amounts of personal, professional and financial information.

Across APAC, personal photos and videos were the most commonly stored data (65 per cent), followed by contact details (57 per cent), text messages and chat histories (50 per cent), and personal documents (49 per cent).

Vietnamese users place even greater trust in their smartphones to safeguard important personal information, with 65 per cent storing photos and videos and 59 per cent storing contact details. More than half (57 per cent) said they kept identity documents, passports or insurance information on their phones.

The survey also highlights the growing role of smartphones in work and daily productivity. Some 47 per cent of APAC respondents stored work emails on their phones, while 31 per cent stored work calendars. In Việt Nam, the figures were 52 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively.

Financial and login information is also widely stored on smartphones. Across APAC, 38 per cent of respondents kept banking details on their devices and 34 per cent save passwords and login credentials. In Việt Nam, the figures were 36 per cent and 40 per cent.

The survey also found that 20 per cent of Vietnamese respondents stored AI chat histories on their smartphones.

“Now our smartphones serve as full-featured assistants that touch every aspect of our lives. The data we entrust to them goes far beyond photos, phone numbers or text messages,” Anton Kivva, cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky, said.

“Consequently, the main question is no longer ‘what we store’ but ‘how we protect it’, requiring security to become as integral to the device as the data it carries.”

Kaspersky said users should adopt stronger mobile security habits, starting with ensuring important information is not stored solely on a smartphone. Regular backups or cloud synchronisation can help prevent permanent data loss if a device is lost, stolen or damaged.

The company also recommends comprehensive cybersecurity protection capable of detecting malicious applications, phishing links and other online threats.

Users should prepare for the possibility of losing their phones by enabling location services, automatic backups and instant screen locks. Keeping devices physically secure in public places is equally important.

Ngô Tấn Vũ Khanh, country manager for Vietnam at Kaspersky, said smartphones had evolved into “digital safes” containing everything from identity documents and banking information to business data.

“To safeguard this ‘digital safe’, users must shift from passive storage to proactive security habits, such as leveraging secured encrypted folders instead of raw image galleries, replacing plain ID photos with secure official apps like VNeID and utilising tools like VPNs on public networks.

“As our digital footprint expands across interconnected smart devices, adopting comprehensive cybersecurity protection and proactive threat intelligence is essential to securing both individual privacy and organisational assets,” Khanh said. — BIZHUB