Millennials most confident online, most
likely to engage in risky cyber behaviour according to Ipsos
results
TORONTO, Oct. 10, 2018 /CNW/ - In the first major survey
of Canadians' attitudes to cyber security and the financial
industry, and in anticipation of Cyber Awareness Month, RBC
partnered with Ipsos to survey more than 2,000 Canadians on their
cyber knowledge to gain more insight into Canadians' concerns about
cyber security and the steps they can take to protect
themselves.
While 77% of Canadians believe they are knowledgeable on cyber
security, only 16% could identify the majority of cyber terms
correctly. Nearly two-thirds (61%) could not identify the term
"phishing", which describes an email designed to trick the
recipient into clicking a link or opening an attachment in an
effort to steal information or install malicious software.
"As our world becomes increasingly connected through the
internet of things, there are more reasons for Canadians to learn
how to protect themselves and their data," said Laurie Pezzente, Chief Security Officer &
Senior Vice-President of Global Cyber Security, RBC. "The survey
results show we need to help educate our clients to actively
safeguard themselves against malicious activity."
While millennials lead the way in terms of cyber security
knowledge over all other age groups, they were also the least
concerned about safeguarding their personal information.
- More than half of millennials surveyed were more likely to
agree that they wouldn't know what to do if they were a victim of a
cyber-crime, significantly higher than 48% of Gen Xers and 40% of
Baby Boomers
- Six-in- ten participants were more concerned about cyber-crimes
than traditional, non-digital forms of crime, including home
invasion, car theft and burglary
As the speed and complexity of the cyber landscape continues to
evolve, online attacks increase, and over-sharing of personal data
rises, low cyber literacy is of significant concern. RBC is
committed to providing Canadians with cyber security resources to
help educate and protect our clients.
Here are some ways to spot a phishing scam and keep confidential
information from falling into the wrong hands:
- Trust your gut: Beware of emails, text messages or phone calls
from individuals or organizations that you weren't expecting. If an
email seems fishy it probably is -- especially if they're asking
you to click on an attachment or a link.
- Know your contacts: Remember that the government, your bank, or
other businesses will never ask you for your password or PIN. And
your uncle, co-worker or best friend likely isn't asking for
confidential details from you either.
- Look closely: Are there spelling and formatting errors in the
email? When you hover your mouse over the link that's included in
the email, does it look valid? Are they addressing you by name, or
simply "Dear Customer?" These are some tell-tale signs an email is
fake.
- When in doubt, take matters into your own hands: If you're not
sure if an email, text or phone call is legit, call the company
directly (using a number you trust) and ask if they've been trying
to reach you.
Visit the Be Cyber Aware website for more information
www.rbc.com/cyber.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with
a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading
performance. Our success comes from the 84,000+ employees who bring
our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients
thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest
in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified
business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional
experiences to our 16 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn
more at rbc.com.
We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives
through donations, community investments and employee volunteer
activities. See how at rbc.com/community-sustainability.
SOURCE RBC Royal Bank