Aug 21, 2014 04:26 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

People are becoming increasingly reliant on their smartphones.

Canadian researchers found that people's dependence on mobile devices brings anxiety. This may be because the loss of one's smart phone not only represents an immediate disconnection from one's online contacts but is also a potential privacy and security risk should the lost phone wend its way into the hands of a malicious third party.

Zhiling Tu, Yufei Yuan and Norm Archer of McMaster University outlined the possible coping mechanisms that might be needed following loss or theft and the security problems that the user might face. The researchers point out that the same anxieties apply equally to lost or stolen laptops, tablet computers and other digital devices.

The team has investigated how general mobile phone users might not cope with the threat of losing their device. They found that a few active and security-conscious users were aware of countermeasures but many users were either not aware of "time bomb" data deletion settings and remote device locks and such or were simply in denial of the risk of their losing their phone.

The convenience of mobility, wireless communication and the information processing power of smart phones and other portable digital devices has led to more and more people carrying with them valuable data assets wherever they go. These assets may include personal and business contacts, private pictures and videos, meeting and lecture notes and the like, banking details, utility statements, company spreadsheets and much more. All such assets are potentially sensitive to abuse by third parties.

Their findings suggest that an awareness campaign might be needed to encourage general users to make their devices more secure and that organizations must enforce certain features on their employees and members to protect sensitive data that might be on those devices beyond their direct control.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit