There are many types of crime but most have specific portals to get advice on how to avoid becoming a victim.

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Device Safety

The cornerstone of your personal safety is the safety of your devices. May that be mobile phones, tablets or computers.

The age of a mobile device significantly impacts its security and safety, but the effect is not linear—it becomes much steeper after the device stops receiving updates. Here’s a clear breakdown of how age reduces safety: Device Age / Update Status Approximate Risk Increase vs. a Fully Updated Device

Main Reasons

• 0–2 years (still getting monthly updates) Minimal (almost none) Latest patches for known vulnerabilities
• 2–4 years (still getting security updates, but less frequently) Low to moderate Some delay in patching new exploits; older hardware may miss new mitigations
• 4–6 years (security updates ended 0–2 years ago) High Known vulnerabilities no longer patched; many exploits publicly available
• 6+ years (no updates for 2+ years) Very high to critical Hundreds of unpatched CVEs; targeted by malware; zero-days more likely to work

Real-World Impact Examples

• Android devices older than ~5 years (e.g., Android 11 or earlier in 2025) often miss critical patches for vulnerabilities like Stagefright, BlueFrag, or newer kernel exploits.
• iPhones older than iPhone 8 / X (no longer get iOS 18+ in 2025) stop receiving patches for WebKit, kernel, and baseband flaws — these are actively exploited in spyware (e.g., Pegasus) and drive-by browser attacks.
• A 2024 study by Which? (UK) found that phones more than 5 years old were ~8× more likely to have at least one critical unpatched vulnerability.

Quantified Risk

(Rough Estimates)

Years without security updates Likelihood of compromise if used normally (browsing, apps, Wi-Fi)

• 0 years <1 % per year
• 1 year 3–8 % per year
• 2 years 15–30 % per year
• 3+ years 40–80 % per year (especially if you click links, install apps from outside stores, or use public Wi-Fi)

Bottom Line

• If your phone is still receiving monthly/quarterly security updates → age alone is not a big safety issue.
• Once security updates stop (typically 5–7 years for flagship Androids, 6–8 years for iPhones), risk rises sharply within 12–24 months.
• After ~2 years without any patch, an old phone is effectively unsafe for banking, email, or any sensitive activity unless you keep it completely air-gapped or behind very strict controls.

Recommendation: Replace or retire phones that are more than ~18–24 months past their last security update for anything involving money, personal data, or communication.