People rely heavily on smartphones every day, yet ignore basic security risks while trusting free tools and skipping paid protection entirely
- Most smartphone users rely on built-in security without additional protection
- Paid antivirus adoption on mobile devices continues to decline steadily
- A significant share of users remains unprotected or unaware of safeguards
Most Americans now use their smartphones more than their computers, but very few spend money to protect those phones from hackers, new research has claimed.
A Cybernews report surveyed over 1,000 American adults, and found only 18% of mobile phone users pay for third-party antivirus software.
Built-in tools like Microsoft Defender and Apple‘s XProtect have become the default choice for most people, while McAfee and Norton lead the paid market for the second year in a row.
Most consumers believe the security features already built into their phones are sufficient for daily use, and see little reason to spend extra money on something they think they already own for free.
Roughly 14% of mobile users say they have no cybersecurity tools installed at all on their devices. Another 16% cannot even name what protections they currently have in place.
On desktop computers, the situation looks very different, with far fewer unprotected machines and much wider adoption of third-party security tools.
Windows Defender and Apple’s native security features now serve as the primary defense for 53% of computer users and 51% of mobile users.
Most people choose these free options because they trust the operating system vendor to provide adequate baseline protection.
Paid antivirus adoption on computers has actually grown by 2% since last year, reaching 41% of users.
On mobile devices, however, third-party antivirus usage has dropped by roughly 10% over the same period, falling from 28% to just 18%.
Mobile users face growing risks
Ransomware attacks targeting smartphones are still less common than those aimed at computers, but the threat landscape is shifting rapidly.
Users who depend solely on the free security tools that came with their phones may be underestimating what modern cybercriminals can do.
Paid subscriptions have gained ground over free alternatives, yet the majority of mobile owners still avoid spending money on dedicated protection.
Cybercrime exposure does influence some users to change their habits, but personal experience is not the main driver of adoption for most people.
Many users employ layered security approach, combining antivirus with VPNs and password managers.
However, the data shows that a large segment of mobile users remain either unprotected or unsure about what safeguards they have.
Established brands like McAfee and Norton continue to benefit from user trust, while lesser-known products struggle to gain acceptance even when their features are comparable.
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