Bad Attitudes Towards Cybersecurity Makes Security Worse
April 26, 2024
Digital connectivity is prevalent in all areas of business environment. Protecting your organization relies upon the strength of your cybersecurity. Technology progresses, but so do the dangers in the online world.
We make ourselves more vulnerable to cyberattacks or online scams by our own actions. Risky behaviors include using weak passwords, having poor security policies, and not considering the possibility of a cybersecurity incident in your organization. This is why human error accounts for over 88% of data breaches.
The National Cybersecurity Alliance and CybSafe are working to improve overlooked cyber hygiene. Every year, they publish a report on cybersecurityattitudes and behaviors. The aim is to inform both people and businesses on how to better protect their digital spaces.
This year’s study surveyed more than 6,000 people from the U.S, the U.K., Germany, France, Canada, and New Zealand. The survey inquired about awareness of cybersecurity risks, security best practices, and challenges faced.
The report revealed some remarkable findings. This involves people's perceptions and actions regarding cyber threats, as well as ways to strengthen their cybersecurity. Here are some of the main findings from the report.
It’s not surprising that 93% of the study participants are online every day. While our number of login accounts continue to grow, so do those considered “sensitive.” Sensitive accounts are those that hold personal information that could be harmful if stolen.
Almost half (47%) of the study’s respondents have ten or more sensitive online accounts. This increases risk, especially for those who use the same password for two or more of those accounts.
Online security is a priority for most people (84%), but many people (39%) also feel irritated or scared by it. However, this is not an excuse to be careless and vulnerable online. You can follow some good practices to protect your online accounts that are effective.
These include:
Human errors that affect cybersecurity can be minimized by educating people. The survey showed that only a quarter of respondents had access to cybersecurity training.
It also analyzed this by employment status. We see that those who are not working are the most deprived. Even those who are working need more access and motivation for training. Barely more than half report having access to cybersecurity awareness training and using it.
Employers can lower their risk of having their data compromised. They can achieve this by improving their security awareness training. There is also a big chance to offer more training. Especially to those who are retired or not working.
More than a fourth (27%) of the people who took the surveys had experienced cybercrime.
The cybercrime they reported were:
Millennials had the highest number of cybercrime incidents reported. On the other hand, BabyBoomers and the Silent Generation had the lowest number of reports.
It's important to follow security best practices, regardless of your age group. We'll cover some of these next.
Begin with the fundamentals. Make different, secure passwords for every online account. Use a combination of big and small letters, digits, and symbols.
Enhance your account protection with multifactor authentication. MFA provides an additional level of security to stop unauthorized entry. Even if passwords are hacked.
Always update your software, such as operating systems and mobile apps, to the latest version.
Don't click on links or open attachments without caution.Especially if they come from emails you don't recognize. Make sure emails and websites are trustworthy. Look for small clues, such as wrong URLs or strange sender addresses.
Use a Wi-Fi network that is secure and has a password. Don't use public Wi-Fi for things that need privacy. Unless you have a virtual private network (VPN).
Make sure to save important data often to a device outside your computer or a safe online cloud backup service.
Use reliable antivirus and anti-malware software on all devices. Manage and check your systems for possible threats often.
Check and change your privacy settings on social media platforms. Reduce the amount of personal information that the public can see.
Use secure passwords or biometric authentication to protect your devices.
Learn and teach your team about cybersecurity through awareness programs. This creates a culture of knowledge and preparedness.
You can protect your data better with some cybersecurity education. Our experts can offer security training at the level you require. We’ll assist you in creating your safeguards against phishing, frauds, and cyberattacks.
Contact us today to schedule a chat.
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