Woburn, MA – October 18, 2017 – A reliance on mobile devices and apathy towards device security have been highlighted as key cybersecurity impact areas in Kaspersky Lab’s latest Kaspersky Cybersecurity Index
Woburn, MA – October 18, 2017 – A reliance on mobile devices and apathy towards device security have been highlighted as key cybersecurity impact areas in Kaspersky Lab’s latest Kaspersky Cybersecurity Index, an aggregate of indicators reflecting changes in online behavior. In the first half of 2017, the Index revealed that consumers are increasingly going mobile, that elderly internet users face a growing number of online hazards and that there has been an increase in the proportion of consumers who lack security protection on their devices.
The Kaspersky Cybersecurity Index is based on the results of online surveys of internet users around the world, conducted twice a year by Kaspersky Lab. In the first half of 2017, the survey was taken by 21,081 users from 32 countries, aged 16 or older.
The research found that internet users are more frequently using mobile devices for their online activities, rather than desktop or laptop computers. For example, 67 percent of internet users access email from their mobile devices, which is an increase from the 59 percent reported in the second half of 2016. Consequently, 78 percent of those surveyed access their email account from a computer, down from 87 percent in the previous six months. In addition, the amount of people using their mobile devices for online shopping has also grown to 50 percent, up from 41 percent in the previous six months.
The Index report also highlighted how elderly internet users (aged 55 or older) found themselves at higher risk in the first half of this year. While only 12 percent of elderly users reported that they had faced an online threat in H2 2016, 19 percent of these users were targeted in H1 2017, most of whom reported that they had encountered some type of malware.
In addition, the Index found that more consumers are not using any kind of security solution on their devices. In the second half of 2016, 39 percent of respondents had not protected all their devices with a security solution; in the most recent Index, 41 percent of consumers admitted they have no security protection at all. This may be due to increased mobile device usage, as people tend to leave mobile devices unprotected more often than computers.
“Irrespective of people’s age and occupation, the focus of their digital lives is increasingly shifting onto mobile devices – people trust them with their secrets, files, confidential information, money and many other things,” said Andrei Mochola, head of consumer business at Kaspersky Lab. “However, cybercriminals are also shifting their tactics and are increasingly attacking mobile platforms. It is therefore imperative that modern smartphones and tablets be as protected as our computers. In addition to safeguarding our own devices, people need to look out for each other and help friends and family members to practice safe Internet usage to reduce the risks they face.”
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android addresses these risks and helps consumers and their families protect their mobile devices from cyber threats. The solution protects smartphones and tablets from dangerous apps and websites; ensures user privacy through call and text filtering; and provides an anti-theft feature to guard user data when a device is lost or stolen.
To learn more about the Kaspersky Cybersecurity Index and the behavior of users online across different countries, ages and genders, please visit http://index.kaspersky.com.
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company celebrating its 20 year anniversary in 2017. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into next generation security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
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