Globally, 35% of people have at least one unprotected device, leaving their home networks vulnerable to ransomware, malicious websites, zero days, phishing attacks and botnets.
Norton by Symantec releases two pieces of research yearly – its Internet Security Report (ISTR) provides an overview of the threat landscape and the Cyber Security Insights Report (CSIR) looks at how consumers are impacted by threats. All figures below refer to a percentage of the sample surveyed.
CSIR is good reading – a wake-up call for consumers – yet while most consumers are aware of the need to protect their personal information online, they are not motivated to stay safe. Many are complacent allowing unsecured devices into the home – media centres, cameras, routers, mobiles, tablets, and increasingly Internet of Things devices that are left unsecured and leaving a “key in the lock” for cyber criminals.
In fact, 689 million people in 21 countries experienced cybercrime. It has become so prevalent that more people fear online (63%) to real-world (52%) risks.
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Perhaps the most important message is complacency – 76% of consumers know they must protect their information but still engage in risky behaviour by sharing passwords. Even when they experience cybercrime activities many do nothing to change security habits, and so a vicious circle starts over.
Interestingly our “know it all” internet savvy Millennials are most at risk – 40% have experienced cybercrime and yet 35% still share passwords that compromise online safety.
Phishing has become the major attack delivery vector. Fake emails from Australia Post, Netflix, and many more lead us to fake websites that deliver a nasty payload. Although the statistics are improving 30% cannot tell a phishing email from the real thing, and another 13% must guess. In tests, 80% took a compromising action and experienced negative consequences, including identity theft, money stolen from bank accounts, credit cards opened in their name and unauthorized apps installed on their device.
Home Wi-Fi networks have become an attack vector. 87% have a network, and 71% use public free networks when outside the home – unfortunately, the benefit of constant connectivity is often outweighed by consumer complacency, leaving consumers and their Wi-Fi networks at risk.
Unfortunately, 66% did not protect the home network, and 35% had at least one unprotected home devices. When using risky public networks 61% did “financial” things over it.
Bottom line while consumers admit the risk is real few do anywhere near enough to prevent, preventable attacks.
Norton’s tips for safety
Just as we don’t leave our front door open when we head out on vacation, we shouldn’t leave our information vulnerable online. By adopting a few basic behaviours, we can make big strides in mitigating cybercrime risk:
- Avoid password promiscuity: Protect your accounts with strong, unique passwords that use a combination of at least ten upper and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers to help keep the bad guys at bay. Make it difficult for attackers to access your information by changing your passwords every three months and not reusing passwords for multiple accounts. That way, if a cybercriminal gets your password, they can’t compromise all your accounts. And if it’s too overwhelming to keep up this practice, use a password manager to help!
- Don’t go on a phishing expedition: Think twice before opening unsolicited messages or attachments, particularly from people you don’t know, or clicking on random links. The message may be from a cybercriminal who has compromised your friend or family member’s email or social media accounts.
- Don’t keep a (dis)connected home: When installing a new network-connected device, such as a router or smart thermostat, remember to change the default password. If you don’t plan on using the Internet feature(s), such as with smart appliances, disable or protect remote access when not needed. Also, protect your wireless connections with strong Wi-Fi encryption so no one can easily view the data traveling between your devices.
- Be in control when online: Entrust your devices to security software to help protect you against the latest threats. Protect all your devices with a robust, multi-platform solution, like Norton Security Premium.
- Know the ins and out of public Wi-Fi networks: Accessing personal information on unprotected public Wi-Fi is like broadcasting your entire screen on TV – everything you do on a website or through an app, could potentially be exposed. Avoid anything that involves sharing your personal information (paying a bill online, logging in to social media accounts, paying for anything with a credit card, etc.).
The chart below shows the Australian figures.
