More than a third of smartphone owners with GPS-enabled features don't realize the security risk involved with social networking as they are using location-tracking applications, a study carried out by internet security firm Webroot claims.

According to a report by Webroot published on 13th of July, 39 per cent of mobile users are making use of location-based tools and services. The report also claims that fifty-five per cent of mobile users are very concerned about the potential loss of privacy due to the use of location-based services.

Webroot's director of consumer business development for EMEA, David Bennett suggested that smartphone users should avoid posting sensitive information."

Speaking on the issue, Bennett said, "People need to realise that you're not just posting any information about yourself just to a friend and that it's open to malicious code from hackers or certain sites."

An earlier Webroot report had revealed that around 40 per cent of Facebook users were not aware of the new security settings announced by the company.

The report was based on a survey of 1,600 social network users with geolocation-enabled mobile phones, with 600 from Britain.