- Norton Cyber Security Insights Report Finds Recent
Cybercrime Victims Most Likely to Repeat Risky Behaviors
- Consumers are Letting Hackers Sneak into their Homes
Through Connected Devices
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, Nov. 16, 2016 /CNW/ - Norton by Symantec (NASDAQ:
SYMC), today released findings from the annual Norton Cyber
Security Insights Report, which sheds light on the truth about
online crime and the personal effect it has on consumers.
The report found that globally consumers who were victims of
cybercrime within the past year often continued their unsafe
behavior. For example, while these consumers were more likely to
use a password on every account, they were nearly twice as likely
to share their password with others, negating their efforts.
Further, 76 per cent of consumers know they must actively protect
their information online (with 80 per cent in Canada), but are still sharing passwords and
engaging in other risky behaviors. Additionally, 35 per cent of
people globally and 40 per cent in Canada, have at least one unprotected device
leaving their other devices vulnerable to ransomware, malicious
websites, zero days and phishing attacks. In Canada:
- More than 8.5 million people have been victims of online crime
in the past year, up from 7 million in 2015
- Less than half of Canadians know how to determine whether the
Wi-Fi network they are using in secure (49 per cent)
- Canadians have lost $1.9 billion
to cybercrime in the past year – up from $1.5 billion in 2015
"Our findings show that people are growing increasingly aware of
the need to protect their personal information online, but aren't
motivated to take adequate precautions to stay safe," said
Fran Rosch, executive vice
president, Norton by Symantec. "While consumers remain complacent,
hackers are refining their skills and adapting their scams to
further take advantage of people, making the need for consumers to
take some action increasingly important."
Given the rampant rates of cybercrime the complacency in
consumer behavior is concerning. Within the past year, 689 million
people in 21 countries were victims of cybercrime, an increase of
10 per cent across the 17 countries that were measured in 2015.
Overconfidence in Connected Devices Leaves Consumers
Vulnerable
With every connected home device purchase,
consumers are unknowingly giving hackers a new avenue to launch
attacks. In some instances, poor consumer security habits and
vulnerabilities in connected devices are letting hackers into
consumers' homes.
- One in five connected home device users don't have any
protective measures in place for their devices.
- Over one third of Canadians (36 per cent) surveyed don't
believe there are enough connected device users for them to
be a worthwhile target for hackers. Yet, just as hackers
learned to benefit from targeting social media and financial
accounts, they are on their way to learning how access to connected
home devices can be lucrative.
- Nearly six in 10 (57 per cent) consumers said they believe
connected home devices were designed with online security in
mind. However, according to Symantec research, in 2015,
criminals compromised TVs, toys, refrigerators, doorbells and even
medical devices. Symantec researchers also identified security
vulnerabilities in 50 different connected home devices ranging from
smart thermostats to smart energy management devices, and even
security cameras.
Consumers Admit the Risks Are Real
The prevalence of
cybercrime has merged with peoples' perception of real-world risks.
Many now see cybercrime dangers as equivalent to risks in the real
world.
- More than half of Canadians (54 per cent) said that over the
past five years, it's become harder to stay safe online than in
the real world.
- Six in ten (60 per cent) said they believe entering
financial information online when connected to public Wi-Fi is
riskier than reading their credit or debit card number aloud
in a public place.
- More than half of parents (54 per cent) believe their
children are more likely to be bullied online than on a
playground.
Bad Habits Are Hard to Break – Online or
Otherwise
Experiencing cybercrime is a potential consequence
of living in a connected world, but consumers still remain
complacent when it comes to protecting their personal information
online.
- Millennials exhibit surprisingly slack online security
habits, and are happy to share passwords that compromise their
online safety (45 per cent). This is likely why they remain the
most common victims of cybercrime, representing 32 per cent of
Canadians who experienced cybercrime in the past year
- More than half (54 per cent) of Canadians never connect to a
Wi-Fi network using VPN, which can potentially allow a hacker
to steal data as it travels on the network.
- Consumers are still willing to click on links from senders they
don't know or open malicious attachments. Nearly one in four
people cannot detect a phishing attack, and another 15 have to
guess between a real message and a phishing email.
- Thinking about cyber security doesn't mean you're secure.
Canadians who experienced cybercrime within the past year were
more likely to be concerned about the security of their home
Wi-Fi (51% vs. 40% non-victims), but are just as likely as
non-victims to not password protect their home Wi-Fi network (11%
for both victims and non-victims).
To learn more about the real impact of cybercrime and how
consumers can protect their digital information, go here for more
information.
About the Norton Cybersecurity Insights Report
The
Norton Cybersecurity Insights Report is an online survey of 20,907
device users ages 18+ across 21 markets, commissioned by Norton by
Symantec and produced by research firm Edelman Intelligence. The
margin of error for the total sample is +/-0.68%. The Canadian
sample reflects input from 1,000 Canadian device users ages 18+.
The margin of error is +/- 3.1% for the total Canadian sample. Data
was collected Sept. 14 - Oct. 4, 2016
by Edelman Intelligence.
About Symantec
Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC),
the world's leading cyber security company, helps businesses,
governments and people secure their most important data wherever it
lives. Organizations across the world look to Symantec for
strategic, integrated solutions to defend against sophisticated
attacks across endpoints, cloud and infrastructure. Likewise, a
global community of more than 50 million people and families rely
on Symantec's Norton suite of products for protection at home and
across all of their devices. Symantec operates one of the world's
largest civilian cyber intelligence networks, allowing it to see
and protect against the most advanced threats. For additional
information, please visit www.symantec.com or connect with us on
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
SOURCE Symantec Corporation