Nearly a third (31%) of visitors to dating sites are business owners or managers who may be putting sensitive corporate data at risk, according to new research from Kaspersky Lab.
The Russian AV firm analyzed data from over 6400 online dating users around the world to compile its Dangerous Liaisons report.
It found that business leaders are particularly blasé about revealing potentially sensitive data on such sites.
Over a fifth (22%) said they share their place of work in their profile, versus 12% of the regular online dating population, and a quarter (24%) of company bosses share trade secrets and other work details, compared to 10% of total users.
That’s not all. Just over a quarter (26%) of online daters share work-related info with matches after several days of communication, but this figure rises to (38%) for business leaders.
Over half (51%) of singletons use their work device to find love online, potentially putting corporate information at risk if the device isn’t properly secured, Kaspersky Lab claimed.
Just 27% actually use a security solution to protect their device and 16% do nothing at all to protect themselves because they don’t see a risk, the report found.
This isn’t a theoretical risk: 19% of business leaders have apparently had their device infected with malware, spyware or ransomware via an online dating platform, while 9% have faced people who used a fake online identity.
Kaspersky Lab principal security researcher, David Emm, said the results of the report were concerning.
“Business devices need to be protected but, further to this, business owners and senior business leaders need to be vigilant. They must also exercise caution when it comes to giving away too much about themselves or their company on their public profile or to potential dates — and beyond,” he added.
“This advice also goes far beyond online dating; individuals should always protect themselves and their personal information online, no matter where they work and what device they use.”
Online dating scams reached an all-time high in the UK in 2016: there were 3889 victims of so-called romance fraud last year, with the average amount lost £10,000, according to the City of London police.