Global cybercrime research study on consumer levels and experiences with cybercrime. 24 countries, over 13,000 participants experiencing crime increasingly in mobile and social networks.
2. 2012 NORTON CYBERCRIME REPORT
24 COUNTRIES
AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA, COLOMBIA, DENMARK,
FRANCE, GERMANY, INDIA, ITALY, JAPAN, MEXICO, NETHERLANDS,
NEW ZEALAND, POLAND, RUSSIA, SAUDI ARABIA, SINGAPORE,
SOUTH AFRICA, SWEDEN, TURKEY, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES,
UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
13,018 ONLINE ADULTS AGED 18-64
EXPERT COLLABORATORS
ADAM PALMER, NORTON LEAD CYBER SECURITY ADVISOR
MARIAN MERRITT, NORTON INTERNET SAFETY ADVOCATE
3. KEY THEMES
THE SCALE OF CONSUMER CYBERCRIME
ONE-AND-A-HALF MILLION VICTIMS DAILY
THE GLOBAL PRICE TAG OF CONSUMER CYBERCRIME
US $110 BILLION ANNUALLY
CHANGING FACE OF CYBERCRIME
CYBERCRIME GOES SOCIAL AND MOBILE
SECURITY IQ: MIXED REPORT CARD FOR CONSUMERS
CONSUMERS WISE UP TO TRADITIONAL THREATS, BUT MANY STILL
UNAWARE AS TO HOW CYBERCRIME IS RAPIDLY EVOLVING
STRONG PASSWORDS ARE KEY
EMAIL A POTENTIAL GATEWAY FOR CYBERCRIMINALS
4. THE SCALE OF CONSUMER CYBERCRIME
556 MILLION VICTIMS PER YEAR
MORE THAN THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
1.5+ MILLION
VICTIMS PER DAY
18 VICTIMS PER SECOND
5. THE SCALE OF CONSUMER CYBERCRIME
2/3 ONLINE ADULTS
HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF CYBERCRIME IN THEIR
LIFETIME
46% VICTIMS IN PAST YEAR
CLOSE TO HALF OF ONLINE ADULTS HAVE FALLEN VICTIM TO ATTACKS SUCH AS
MALWARE, VIRUSES, HACKING, SCAMS, FRAUD & THEFT
6. THE GLOBAL PRICE TAG OF CONSUMER CYBERCRIME
$110 BN
THE COST AMERICANS SPEND ANNUALLY ON FAST FOOD
85% OF DIRECT FINANCIAL COSTS
OTHER; 15% ARE A RESULT OF
FRAUD, REPAIRS, THEFT & LOSS
REPAIRS; 26%
FRAUD; 42%
USD $197
AVERAGE COST PER VICTIM
ENOUGH TO BUY A WEEK’S WORTH OF NUTRITIOUS FOOD
THEFT OR LOSS; FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR IN THE UNITED STATES
17%
7. THE GLOBAL PRICETAG OF CONSUMER CYBERCRIME
2 BNRUSSIA
21 BNUSA
16 BN
EUROPE
46 BN CHINA
2 BN
MEXICO
8 BN 0.5 BN
INDIA
JAPAN
8 BN
BRAZIL
2 BN AUSTRALIA
ALL AMOUNTS IN USD
8. CHANGING FACE OF CYBERCRIME: CYBERCRIME GOES MOBILE
AS CONSUMERS GO MOBILE, SO DO CYBERCRIMINALS
2/3 OF ADULTS USE A MOBILE
DEVICE TO ACCESS THE INTERNET
2X MOBILE VULNERABILITIES
MOBILE VULNERABILITIES DOUBLED IN 2011 FROM 2010*
31% OF MOBILE USERS
RECEIVED A TEXT MESSAGE FROM SOMEONE THEY DIDN’T KNOW
REQUESTING THAT THEY CLICK ON AN EMBEDDED LINK OR DIAL AN
UNKNOWN NUMBER TO RETRIEVE A “VOICEMAIL”
*Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 17 (April 2012)
9. CHANGING FACE OF CYBERCRIME: CYBERCRIME GOES MOBILE
…YET IT CAN BE PREVENTED
35% OF ADULTS
HAVE LOST THEIR MOBILE DEVICE
OR HAD IT STOLEN
2/3
DON’T USE A SECURITY SOLUTION
FOR THEIR MOBILE DEVICE
44% AREN’T AWARE
THAT SECURITY SOLUTIONS FOR MOBILE DEVICES EXIST
10. CHANGING FACE OF CYBERCRIME: CYBERCRIME GOES SOCIAL
4/10 1/6
SOCIAL NETWORK USERS HAVE SOCIAL NETWORK USERS REPORT THAT SOMEONE HAS
FALLEN VICTIM TO CYBERCRIME ON HACKED INTO THEIR PROFILE AND PRETENDED TO BE
SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORMS THEM
3/4 1/10
BELIEVE CYBERCRIMINALS ARE SOCIAL NETWORK USERS
SETTING THEIR SIGHTS ON HAVE FALLEN VICTIM TO A
SOCIAL NETWORKS SCAM OR FAKE LINK ON SOCIAL
NETWORK PLATFORMS
11. RISKY BEHAVIOR ON SOCIAL MEDIA
LOG OUT
1/3
DON’T LOG OUT
1/5
DON’T CHECK LINKS
1/6
HAVE NO IDEA IF
AFTER EACH SESSION BEFORE SHARING THEIR SETTINGS ARE
PUBLIC OR PRIVATE
LESS THAN HALF ONLY HALF
USE A SECURITY TOOL TO PROTECT USE PRIVACY SETTINGS TO CONTROL
AGAINST SOCIAL NETWORKING THREATS WHAT INFORMATION THEY SHARE
AND WITH WHOM
12. SOCIAL “FRENEMIES”?
CONSUMERS ARE ONLY AS SECURE AS THEIR CIRCLE OF SOCIAL
NETWORK FRIENDS (INCLUDING FRIENDS OF FRIENDS)
36%
HAVE ACCEPTED
FRIEND REQUESTS
FROM PEOPLE THEY DO
NOT KNOW
3/10
HAVE RECEIVED POSTS OR
MESSAGES THAT THEY
SUSPECT ARE NOT ACTUALLY
FROM FRIENDS
13. CONSUMERS’ SECURITY IQ
HIGH MARKS FOR SOME SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS
89%
DELETE SUSPICIOUS
83%
HAVE AT LEAST A
78%
DON’T OPEN ATTACHMENTS
EMAILS FROM PEOPLE BASIC ANTIVIRUS OR LINKS IN UNSOLICITED
THEY DON’T KNOW SOLUTION E-MAILS OR TEXTS
GOOD JOB!
14. CONSUMERS’ SECURITY IQ
BUT STILL “ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT”...
30%
DO NOT THINK ABOUT
21%
DO NOT TAKE STEPS TO SECURE
CYBERCRIME WHEN ONLINE THEIR PERSONAL INFO WHEN
BECAUSE THEY DO NOT EXPECT ACCESSING THE INTERNET
THAT IT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM
?
15. CONSUMERS’ SECURITY IQ
MANY ONLINE ADULTS DON’T KNOW OR RECOGNIZE HOW VIRUSES OR
MALICIOUS SOFTWARE ACTS
40% 49%
DO NOT KNOW THAT A VIRUS OR AGREE THAT UNLESS THEIR COMPUTER
MALWARE CAN ACT IN A DISCRETE CRASHES OR GOES SLOW, IT’S HARD TO
FASHION, MAKING IT HARD TO KNOW IF THEIR COMPUTER IS INFECTED
RECOGNIZE IF A COMPUTER HAS WITH A VIRUS OR MALWARE
BEEN COMPROMISED
16. CONSUMERS’ SECURITY IQ
AND CONSUMERS DON’T KNOW HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES
55%
AREN’T 100% SURE THEIR
3/10
DON’T UNDERSTAND THE RISK
48%
ARE ONLY USING
COMPUTER IS CURRENTLY OF CYBERCRIME OR HOW TO BASIC ANTIVIRUS
‘CLEAN’ AND FREE FROM PROTECT THEMSELVES PROTECTION
VIRUSES ONLINE
17. STRONG PASSWORDS STILL KEY
NEARLY HALF 46%
HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED TO CHANGE THEIR PASSWORD BECAUSE
THEIR PASSWORD OR PRIVACY WAS COMPROMISED
TOP 3 ACCOUNTS PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED NOTIFICATIONS TO CHANGE
PASSWORDS FOR, FOLLOWING A COMPROMISE:
EMAIL 27% SOCIAL NETWORK 19% BANK ACCOUNT 15%
18. STRONG EMAIL PASSWORDS STILL KEY
EMAIL IS A POTENTIAL GATEWAY FOR CRIMINALS LOOKING
FOR PERSONAL / CORPORATE INFORMATION
WHAT PEOPLE SEND BY EMAIL:
50% 42% 22% 17%
PERSONAL WORK RELATED BANK PASSWORDS FOR
PHOTOGRAPHS DOCUMENTS AND STATEMENTS OTHER ONLINE
CORRESPONDENCE ACCOUNTS
YET 40% DON’T USE COMPLEX PASSWORDS OR CHANGE THEIR
PASSWORDS REGULARLY
19. WHO IS AFFECTED MOST BY CYBERCRIME?
HIGHEST NUMBER OF CYBERCRIME CYBERCRIME VICTIMS MORE
VICTIMS FOUND IN: LIKELY TO BE:
RUSSIA
MALE – 71%
92% (COMPARED TO 63% OF FEMALES)
CHINA
MILLENNIAL - 75%
84%
(COMPARED TO 56%
OF BABY BOOMERS)
AND:
SOUTH AFRICA • MOBILE INTERNET USERS
80% • SOCIAL NETWORK USERS
20. CONCLUSION
CHANGING FACE OF CYBERCRIME
$110 BILLION
MORE ONLINE ADULTS THAN LAST YEAR INDICATED THAT
THEY HAVE FALLEN VICTIM TO NEW FORMS OF CYBERCRIME
SUCH AS THOSE FOUND ON SOCIAL NETWORKS OR MOBILE
DEVICES – A SIGN THAT CYBERCRIMINALS ARE STARTING TO
FOCUS THEIR EFFORTS ON THESE INCREASINGLY POPULAR
PLATFORMS
THE COSTS OF CYBERCRIME ARE CRIMINAL: $110 BN LOST
IN JUST 12 MONTHS.
CONSUMERS DON’T RECOGNIZE
CYBERCRIME HAS CHANGED
556 MILLION VICTIMS HALF OF ONLINE ADULTS DON’T KNOW OR RECOGNIZE HOW
MALWARE OR CYBERCRIME ACTS HAVE EVOLVED AND DON’T
1.5M ADULTS BECOME CYBERCRIME VICTIMS EVERY DAY - KNOW HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES. CYBERCRIMINALS’
THAT’S 18 VICTIMS PER SECOND. METHODS HAVE CHANGED – NOT ONLY DO THEY WANT TO
AVOID DETECTION FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, THEY’RE
CHANGING THEIR TACTICS TO TARGET FAST GROWING
MOBILE PLATFORMS AND SOCIAL NETWORKS WHERE
CONSUMERS ARE LESS AWARE OF THE SECURITY RISKS.
STRONG PASSWORDS KEY
EMAIL ACCOUNTS CAN BE A GATEWAY FOR CRIMINALS
LOOKING FOR PERSONAL AND CORPORATE
INFORMATION, WITH PEOPLE SENDING EVERYTHING FROM
PERSONAL PHOTOS TO WORK RELATED CORRESPONDENCE
TO BANK STATEMENTS AND PASSWORDS FOR OTHER ONLINE
ACCOUNTS. AND YET 40% DON’T USE COMPLEX PASSWORDS
OR CHANGE THEIR PASSWORDS REGULARLY
22. THE METHODOLOGY DETAIL
STRATEGYONE CONDUCTED AN IMPORTANT NOTES:
ONLINE SURVEY AMONG:
THE NORTON CYBERCRIME REPORT IS AN ANNUAL REPORT
13,018 ADULTS COMMISSIONED BY NORTON BY SYMANTEC AIMED AT
UNDERSTANDING HOW CYBERCRIME AFFECTS CONSUMERS
AND HOW THE ADOPTION AND EVOLUTION OF NEW
TECHNOLOGIES IMPACTS CONSUMERS’ SECURITY. THE
THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN 24 COUNTRIES
RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED BY STRATEGYONE, AN
(AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA, COLOMBIA, FRANCE,
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AGENCY.
DENMARK, GERMANY, INDIA, ITALY, JAPAN, MEXICO, NETHER
LANDS, NEW ZEALAND, POLAND, RUSSIA, SAUDI
1000 ADULT RESPONDENTS WERE INTERVIEWED IN EACH OF
ARABIA, SINGAPORE, SOUTH
USA AND INDIA. THE GLOBAL DATA HAS BEEN WEIGHTED TO
AFRICA, SWEDEN, TURKEY, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, UNITED
ENSURE ALL COUNTRIES HAVE EQUAL REPRESENTATION OF
KINGDOM AND UNITED STATES).*
N=500 ADULTS.
THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN THE PRIMARY LANGUAGE
* REFERENCES TO 2011 – 2012 DATA CHANGES
OF EACH COUNTRY, AND QUESTIONS ASKED WERE IDENTICAL
IS BASED UPON 20 TRACKING MARKETS ONLY:
ACROSS ALL COUNTRIES.
AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA, FRANCE, DENMARK, FR
ANCE, GERMANY, INDIA, ITALY, JAPAN, MEXICO, NETHERLAND
INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED BETWEEN 16TH JULY 2012
S, NEW ZEALAND, POLAND, SOUTH
– 30TH JULY 2012.
AFRICA, SWEDEN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, UNITED
KINGDOM, UNITED STATES.
THE MARGIN OF ERROR FOR THE TOTAL SAMPLE OF ADULTS
(N=13, 018) IS + 0.9% AT THE 95% LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE.
23. DEFINITION OF CYBERCRIME
CYBERCRIME IS DEFINED AS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES:
• COMPUTER VIRUSES OR MALICIOUS SOFTWARE APPEARED ON MY COMPUTER
• I RESPONDED TO A FORGED, ‘SPOOFED’ OR FAKE EMAIL OR WEBSITE WHICH CAPTURED MY PERSONAL DETAILS
• I HAVE EXPERIENCED ONLINE BULLYING, ONLINE STALKING, HATE CRIME OR OTHER FORM OF ONLINE HARASSMENT
• SOMEONE HAS HACKED INTO MY EMAIL ACCOUNT AND PRETENDED TO BE ME
• SOMEONE HAS HACKED INTO MY SOCIAL NETWORKING PROFILE AND PRETENDED TO BE ME
• I WAS APPROACHED ONLINE BY SOMEONE IN AN UNWANTED SEXUAL WAY
• I RESPONDED TO ONLINE SCAMS
• I EXPERIENCED ONLINE CREDIT CARD FRAUD
• I EXPERIENCED IDENTITY THEFT
• I RESPONDED TO AN UNSOLICITED SMS TEXT MESSAGE WHICH CAPTURED MY PERSONAL DETAILS
• MY PHONE WAS INFECTED AND A TEXT MESSAGE WAS SENT FROM MY MOBILE PHONE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION
OR KNOWLEDGE THAT I LATER HAD TO PAY FOR
• I EXPERIENCED ANOTHER TYPE OF CYBERCRIME ON MY CELL / MOBILE PHONE / TABLET DEVICE
• I EXPERIENCED ANOTHER TYPE OF CYBERCRIME ON MY DESKTOP OR LAPTOP COMPUTER
SOCIAL CYBERCRIME IS DEFINED AS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES ON SOCIAL NETWORKING
PLATFORMS:
• I HAVE BEEN HARASSED OR BULLIED OR HAD INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT POSTED ABOUT ME
• I HAVE RESPONDED TO A FORGED OR FAKE MESSAGE OR WEBSITE TRYING TO GET MY PERSONAL DETAILS SUCH AS PASSWORDS, BANK
ACCOUNT INFORMATION (I.E., PHISHING)
• I CLICKED ON A LINK OR A ‘LIKE’ AND IT TOOK ME TO A BLANK PAGE, OR REPOSTED ITSELF AUTOMATICALLY INTO MY ACCOUNT
• I HAVE FALLEN FOR A SCAM OR CLICKED ON A FAKE LINK
• I HAVE CLICKED ON A LINK OR ‘LIKED’ SOMETHING WHICH HAS THEN REPOSTED ITSELF ONTO MY PROFILE
MOBILE CYBERCRIME IS DEFINED AS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES:
• I RESPONDED TO AN UNSOLICITED SMS TEXT MESSAGE WHICH CAPTURED MY PERSONAL DETAILS
• MY PHONE WAS INFECTED AND A TEXT MESSAGE WAS SENT FROM MY MOBILE PHONE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION
OR KNOWLEDGE THAT I LATER HAD TO PAY FOR
• I EXPERIENCED ANOTHER TYPE OF CYBERCRIME ON MY CELL / MOBILE PHONE / TABLET DEVICE
24. EXTRAPOLATIONS CALCULATIONS
1) OVER 556 MILLION VICTIMS IN 24 COUNTRIES OVER PAST 12 MONTHS:
ONLINE POPULATION FROM CIA FACTBOOK (24 COUNTRY TOTAL = 1, 015,861,551.
ONLINE ADULTS PER COUNTRY X % CYBERCRIME VICTIMS PAST 12 MONTHS PER COUNTRY = 556,152,181 (SUM OF 24
COUNTRIES).
2) 18 CYBERCRIME VICTIMS EVERY SECOND / 1058 CYBERCRIME VICTIMS EVERY MINUTE / ALMOST 64,000 PER HOUR / 1.5
MILLION PER DAY IMPACTING OVER 556 MILLION ADULTS IN THE PAST YEAR IN 24 COUNTRIES*
VICTIMS OVER PAST 12 MONTHS (AS ABOVE) 556,152,181 / 365 DAYS PER YEAR / 24 HOURS / 60 MINUTES / 60 SECONDS.
3) CYBERCRIME COST NEARLY $110 BILLION IN THE LAST YEAR IN 24 COUNTRIES
VICTIMS OVER PAST 12 MONTHS (PER COUNTRY) X AVERAGE FINANCIAL COST OF CYBERCRIME (PER COUNTRY IN US
CURRENCY).
FIGURE SHOWN IN THE SUM OF ALL COUNTRIES TOTAL COST.
Editor's Notes
Norton Cybercrime Report: 2012The Norton Cybercrime Report, now in its fourth year, is an annual research study commissioned by Norton that examines online consumers’ behaviors, attitudes, security habits, and the dangers and financial cost of cybercrime. The study also reveals how new technologies and developments are changing the way people use the Internet, which in turn has opened up new avenues for cybercriminals. Why conduct this research again this year?Norton commissioned this study because our commitment is to protect people online. As a security company, we believe it is our job to understand the latest Internet security trends and people’s online social and mobile behaviors. By doing so, we can better educate consumers about cybercrime, how threats are evolving and help them minimize their exposure to online risks by offering advice and solutions to keep safe online.
The Norton Cybercrime Report (NCR) is a major global study investigating consumer cybercrime, conducted for Norton by StrategyOne,an independent market research firm, in July (2012)of this year. The 2012 study interviewed 13,018 online adults, aged 18 to 64 from 24 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA). The study was conducted in the primary language of each country through an online questionnaire, and questions asked were identical across all countries. Four countries are included for the first time this year - Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Colombia.
This is up from 2011 – where we saw 430 million victims a year, 1 million victims a day and 14 victims a second.
The global average incidence of cybercrime in the last 12 months (46% of online adults) is virtually unchanged from 2011 (45%) to 2012.While the incidence of cybercrime in the last 12 months has remained largely the same in 2012 (46%) as 2011 (45%), the rapid growth in the amount of adults accessing the Internet through computers, PCs, and in particular mobile devices, has led to an increase in total cybercrime victims as well as social cybercrime victims.
There are some studies that have focused on the impact of cybercrime on businesses and governments. Our study really focuses on people – consumers like you and me. Therefore this number is a reflection of the financial impact of cybercrime on people. We’ve arrived at these numbers by taking the information reported to us by 13,000 people from 24 countries and extrapolating the figures. What we have arrived at is that the cash losses reported by respondents is $110 billion. 85 percent of which are a result of fraud, repairs, theft and loss. Other includes the cost to resolve a cybercrime incident (7%) or other financial losses (not specified) (8%).The global average incidence of cybercrime in the last 12 months (46% of online adults) is virtually unchanged from 2011 to 2012, as is the global cash cost of cybercrime ($110 billion in 2012 similar to $114 billion in 2011). However, we did see that the cost per victimof cybercrime was about 4 percent lower than last year. The average cost of cybercrime per person in the last 12 months has actually dropped 20% across our 20 tracking markets, but that has been offset almost entirely by the number of online adult users rising by 20% across PC and mobile Internet platforms. In other words, the cost per victim is down, but the number of victims is up.
The Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 17 (April 2012) reported that mobile vulnerabilities nearly doubled in 2011 from the year before.Smartphone sales showed strong growth worldwide in 2011• IDC (February 2012): Total shipments in 2011 were 491.4 million units up 61.3 percent from 2010. This makes smartphones 31.8 percent of all handsets shipped.• Strategy Analytics (February 2012): Total shipments in 2011 were 488.5 million units up 63.1 percent from 2010. This makes smartphones 31.5 percent of all handsets shipped.• Gartner (February 2012): Total smartphone sales in 2011 reached 472 million units up 58 percent from 2010. This makes smartphones 31 percent of all handsets shipped.http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a#mobilemalware
However, there are some proactive measures that consumers can take to help safe-guard against mobile threats, whether physical or “virtual”While lost or theft of a mobile device is not actually a “cybercrime”, consumers should take proactive steps to protect their data in the event that their mobile device winds up in the wrong hands, especially if it’s not password protected. If your mobile device were lost, what kinds of interesting data could a criminal find about you? Your address? Access to your email or social network account? An online banking app? We found in this report that many consumers are not using, or aware, that mobile security solutions exist which can help protect their data from threats such as malicious apps, Smishing, or theft or loss of the device.COMMENT: 44% aren't aware that security solutions for mobiledevices exist- this is among all adults,
According to NCR respondents:82%have a social network accountIn 20121 in 4 (39%) OF ONLINE ADULTS HAVE FALLEN VICTIM TO CYBERCRIME ON SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORMS1/6 OF SOCIAL NETWORK USERS REPORT THAT SOMEONE HAS HACKED INTO THEIR PROFILE AND PRETENDED TO BE THEM(UP FROM 1/9 IN 2011) Wesee social network cybercrimeincreasingthisyear: I have been harassed or bullied or had inappropriate content posted about me (5% in 2011; 7% in 2012)I have responded to a forged or fake email, message or website trying to get my personal details such as passwords, bank account information (i.e., phishing) - (5% in 2011; 7% in 2012)I clicked on a link or a ‘Like’ and it took me to a blank page, or reposted itself automatically into my account (N/A in 2011; 14% in 2012)I have fallen for a scam or clicked on a fake link (N/A in 2011; 10% in 2012)I have clicked on a link or ‘liked’ something which has then reposted itself onto my profile (NA in 2011; 25% in 2012)
We see that “stranger danger” stats are up : “I have accepted friend requests from someone I don’t know” - 29% in 2011, up to 36% in 2012Inherent trust on social networks, which can be exploited by cybercriminals to succeed in their attacks, such as click-jacking ,spamming, or scamming.Example:Diet pills posted by a friend in your newsfeed?The “Nigeria 419” scam going social (message from a friend who has had credit card, phone, and purse stolen, she’s emailing you from an internet cafe so that you can wire money to her so that she can get back home). What would you do?
We want to applaud consumers, as there is encouraging news - Most Internet users are taking some of the basic steps to protect themselves and their personal information, such as: Deleting suspicious emails (89%)Using basic anti-virus protection (83%) Being careful with their personal details online (83%)
But, there is still room for improvement: 30 percent don’t think about cybercrime when online because they don’t expect that it will happen to them 21 percent don’t take steps to secure their personal information when accessing the Internet
In addition, to targeting fast-growing platforms such as mobile or social, cybercriminals’ methods are evolving in regards to some of the more “common” forms of cybercrime.Malware and viruses used to wreak obvious havoc on your computer. You’d get a blue screen, or your computer would crash, alerting you to an infection. But cybercriminals’ methods have evolved; they want to avoid detection as long as possible. This year’s results show that nearly half of Internet users believe that unless their computer crashes or malfunctions, they’re not 100 percent sure they’ve fallen victim to such an attack.Many online adults are unaware as to how some of the most common forms of cybercrime have evolved over the years and thus have a difficult time recognizing how malware, such as viruses, act on their computer. In fact, 40 percent of adults do not know that malware can operate in a discretefashion, making it hard to know if a computer has been compromised, and more than half (55 percent) are not certain that their computer is currently clean and free of viruses.
3/10 say they don’t understand the risk of cybercrime or how to protect themselves online – we have no way of quantifying how many people think they understand, but are misinformed, so this number is likely to be conservative.48 percent do not use more advanced protection tools or software beyond antivirus alone, such as Internet security software, which offer protection against some of today’s most common web-based attacks, such as phishing.
Personal email accounts often contain the keys to your online kingdom. Not only can criminals gain access to everything in your inbox from personal photos, to bank statements, work related documents and passwords to other online accounts, they can also reset your passwords for any other online site you may use by clicking the ‘forgot your password’ link, intercepting those emails and effectively locking you out of your own accounts. Protect your email accordingly, by using complex passwords and changing them regularly.
Men (71%) are more likely to be a victim of cybercrime than women (63%). Men are more likely to spend time online and to communicate with strangers. In our 2011 report, we revealed that they also view adult content more, gamble more and date online more, putting them at greater risk for cybercrime. Also, 75% of Millennials aged 18-31 have been victims of cybercrime compared to 56% of baby boomers.
As we conclude this presentation, I’d like to recap some key take aways from our four major themes...THE SCALE OF CYBERCRIME:is year’s findings showed the significant numbers of people affected by cybercrime and the total costs associated with cybercrime. The costs of cybercrime are criminal: $110 billion lost in just 12 months., affecting 556 million consumers across the world. Clearly the burgeoning cybercrime industry is flourishing thanks to our ever evolving, 24/7 connected world; multiple platforms that provide new places for the bad guys to do “business”, and an increase in people who are apathetic about Internet security or who unwittingly fall for malicious online traps. We also found that recent developments such as the popularity of mobile devices and social media platforms have opened up new security risks that have left many people unprotected and vulnerable to cyber attacks. In addition, many online adults are unaware as to how some of the most common forms of cybercrime have evolved over the years and thus have a difficult time recognizing how malware, such as viruses, act on their computer. Blue screens, the slowing down or crashing of a computer, or the appearance of pop-ups used to be fair indicators that malware may potentially be present on a computer. However, cybercriminals’ methods have evolved as they try to avoid detection as a long as possible. Today, malware, such as viruses, operate in a more discreet fashion. In fact, forty percent of respondents are not aware that malware can operate in a discreet fashion, making it hard to know if a computer has been compromised, and more than half are not certain that their computer is currently clean and free of viruses.