14 DAY TRIAL // IT security solutions provider ThreatMetrix has determined that the average bank account is accessed by 2.4 unique devices. The result is based on data from the ThreatMetrix Global Trust Intelligence Network.
According to a study that focuses on the period between May 1 and July 31, 2013, 55% of bank accounts are accessed by a single device, 26% are accessed by two devices, 11% by three devices and 4% by four devices.
Worryingly, experts have found that some bank accounts are accessed even from 20 devices over a one-month period.
“Online bank accounts are likely accessed by several unique devices because consumers often check their balances or process transactions several times per week, or as often as several times per day,” said Peter Liske, vice president of product management, ThreatMetrix.
“However, accessing highly sensitive banking information across multiple devices poses a severe fraud and malware risk to both consumers and financial service providers – more so than for other industries.”
Overall, bank accounts are accessed from a much higher number of devices compared to other sectors, such as e-commerce, government, social network, enterprise, and healthcare.
The figures for these industries show that 68% of accounts are accessed by only one device, 19% are accessed from two devices and 7% from three devices. The average across these industries is 1.79 devices per account.
“While it isn’t uncommon for some consumers to access online accounts from multiple devices, any business operating online must have a collective device and persona screening process in place to determine suspicious activity,” Liske noted.
“The risk of a malware-infected device transacting with a site goes up when visitors use a number of devices. Preventative screening enables online banks, retailers and other businesses to authenticate returning users and their associated devices so they can have a seamless experience while ensuring suspicious account logins require additional screening processes.”