How safe are you with your smartphone?

In a time when we hear regularly about security breaches and personal data being exposed, it may come as a surprise that smartphone users are not as safe as they may think they are.

A new survey by Lookout, a mobile security company, has released its Mobile Privacy IQ Study which finds that there are major discrepancies between people's actions and attitudes about privacy on mobile devices.

Among the top findings:

• While smartphone owners expressed concern over personal info staying private, they are willing to trade privacy for convenience;
• There is a lack of awareness;
• Despite increase in BYOD (bring your own device -to work) adoption, protecting sensitive work data is of little concern to smartphone owners

"There is a major disconnect between people's understanding of what it means to be privacy conscious and the actions they take in the real world," said Rebecca Payne, safety advocate and product marketing manager at Lookout. "We found that 41 percent of people self-assess their mobile privacy IQ to be above average or higher. Yet, those who claim to be the most privacy conscious partake in risky mobile behavior more frequently."

According to the report, 56 percent of smartphone owners have downloaded an app without reading the permissions, one in three would provide app companies with more data about themselves if the apps will make their lives easier and 34 percent do not set a PIN or passcode on their phone. Nearly 60 percent of smartphone owners care least about protecting the work data on their phones. Account credentials (74 percent), private photos (42 percent), and location (38 percent) top the list of personal info on smartphones that users are most concerned about being leaked or exposed.

Lookout offers the following tips for better mobile security:

• Set a pin or passcode. This is the first line of defense against prying eyes and thieves;
• When connected to public Wi-Fi, limit email, social networking and only window shop - Security for these networks is scarce, making it relatively simple for hackers to snoop on your Internet activity;
• The final "s" is key -- when browsing the web on mobile, take the extra step once the page has fully loaded to make sure the URL you're visiting leads with "https." This ensures that your connection is secure;
• Use discretion when downloading apps and pay attention to the apps ratings and reviews -- don't be afraid to say "no" if you're uncomfortable with the info an app is accessing;
• Download a mobile security app. Apps like Lookout check for malware and spyware, fights against phone loss and theft, and notifies you of the information apps on your phone are accessing.