Data security due to theft or use of public wi-fi networks worries travelers

61% of Spanish business travelers are concerned about the security of their company's data during corporate travel, according to a study by Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). Theft or loss of a mobile phone or laptop is among the most worrisome situations, along with the use of public wi-fi networks.

This report shows that only one third of Spanish business travelers (33%) are very confident that they do not compromise the security of their company's data, a percentage higher than the average for Europe (27%) and Asia-Pacific (28%), but lower than that of the Americas (46%).

The three situations that Spanish respondents identify as most concerning in terms of data security during their travels are: theft or loss of the laptop or mobile phone(30%), the use of a public wi-fi network(22%) and the unintentional exposure of company documents to third parties who may glance at the computer, mobile phone or printed documents (12%).

These are followed by other risky moments, such as working on a laptop or mobile phone (9%), accessing files or websites that should not have been accessed (9%), accessing company e-mails (6%) and deleting printed documents (6%).

According to the study, 39% of Spanish business travelers surveyed were concerned about possible security breaches during the time they were online or trying to go online; 43% were concerned about the possibility of a security breach; or trying to go online; 43% have ever downloaded a file from an unknown sender and 31% have opened a ‘phishing’ e-mail that has tried to steal their data.

Also, the report shows that, to deal with a data theft attempt, 47% of respondents have turned off or unplugged their computer or electronic device, 24% have informed their company's IT department and 28% have reported it to their organization.

On this point, the CWT study notes that only 52% of Spanish business travelers say they know how to report a "phishing" email, the lowest figure among the European countries participating in the study. Travelers from the UK are the most knowledgeable (70% know what to do in such a case), followed by Italians (67%), Swedes (61%), Germans (60%) and French (53%).