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Sexting stats: Half of adults' phones contain intimate content

In this photo illustration, a young woman is shown texting on a mobile phone.
In this photo illustration, a young woman is shown texting on a mobile phone.photo illustration / Jim Seida / NBC News

Smartphone users are scandalous! A new study shows more than half of adults have sent or received ... ahem, intimate content on their mobile devices.

Perhaps more shocking: 16 percent have sent sexual content to a complete stranger, according to a report released Tuesday from security software firm McAfee. 

The firm's "Love, Relationships, and Technology" report, which surveyed several hundred adults, is full of statistics about how people send racy selfies, sexts and other intimate content. But they're often lax with the security on the phones that contain those potentially embarrassing photos and videos.

Overall, 14 percent said they have filmed sexual content on their mobile devices (hello, Snapchat). That figure jumps to one in three adults for the U.S. exclusively.

All that sexy fun can quickly turn bad, thanks to vengeful exes or other ne'er-do-wells.

About 38 percent of people surveyed shared their phone passwords with someone else. More than 40 percent shared email login details and bank information. 

What's more, 27 percent of people don't even lock their phones with a passcode. 

"Now, that’s just asking for a social scandal," McAfee's Robert Siciliano wrote in a blog post about the report.

Meanwhile, it isn't only exes who may use login information for sneaky purposes; current partners are guilty of it too. 

About 20 percent of people surveyed said they log into their partner's Facebook account at least once a month by using the partner's password. Twenty-eight percent snatch significant others' phones to check the photos and messages stored there.

How utterly romantic for Valentine's month.

Julianne Pepitone is a senior technology writer for NBC News Digital. Previously she was a staff writer at CNNMoney, where she covered large tech companies including Apple and Google, as well as the intersection of tech and media. Follow Julianne on Twitter at @julpepitone or email her at julianne.pepitone@nbcuni.com.