CONSUMER SECURITY RISKS SURVEY 2016 : CONNECTED BUT NOT PROTECTED

The Internet brings with it a myriad of opportunities. It makes the world smaller ; allowing people to communicate in new and exciting ways, at any time and wherever they are. It makes information constantly accessible to people, which in turn is adjusting how they live their day–to–day lives, how they travel from A to B, and what they choose to remember. It’s an attractive prospect, and it’s easy to see why
40% of the world’s population has an Internet connection.

Yet the Internet also offers opportunities to criminals. Some malicious parties are out to harm. Some are seeking financial reward. Others intend to steal identities, data, or even disrupt the lives of children and older relatives.

To better understand the threats people face online, and how they protect what matters most to them, Kaspersky Lab, together with B2B International, has undertaken this global study. We have collected data from thousands of Internet users across the globe to assess how users behave online, what their concerns are, what issues they face and how they defend themselves against possible threats.

A bird’s–eye view of consumer security.

In conjunction with the study, this year we are launching the Kaspersky Cybersecurity Index, the first index to monitor and track the security status of consumers on a global scale, and make this information available to Internet users 24/7.

The Index analyses the consumer security data across three key indicators : the ‘Concerned Indicator,’ which shows the percentage of people who believe they may be targeted by a cyberattack, the ‘Affected Indicator,’ which identifies how many people have actually fallen victim to cyberattacks during the reporting period, and the ‘Protected Indicator,’ which shows the number of users who have installed security solutions on all devices they use to access the Internet. We plan to measure these indicators every six months, to provide the information needed to monitor the degree of risk to the average Internet user.

Our findings indicate that besides being aware of the threats online, people are failing to install security solutions on their devices, and they are behaving carelessly. This makes them easy targets for cybercriminals, and as a result, 29% have been affected by online threats.

Our goal is to help users understand the risks they are exposed to. Ultimately, we hope that our insights will help users protect what matters most to them as they become ever more connected.