The majority of Americans are certain regarding their knowledge of cybersecurity based on a newly released AT&T survey of 2,000 Americans. However, bad cyber hygiene and poor password routines continue to be prevalent. OnePoll conducted the survey on behalf of AT&T and discovered that 70% of respondents felt they were proficient concerning cybersecurity with 69% stating they were assured in their capability to be able to recognize suspicious websites quickly, but the typical person still lands on a suspicious online page or social media page 6.5 times a day.
When asked about Internet use, merely 39% of participants claimed they knew that online sites could download malware to their computers and merely 45% stated they were aware that suspicious websites can bring about identity theft. 54% did not know the difference between an active threat – one that demands some user action – and an inactive threat – where a device is attacked without any activity from the user.
Though thinking they could distinguish suspicious online sites, for example, unverified internet sites, HTTP sites, and websites having a lot of pop-ups, the potential security threats from accessing those internet sites were frequently overlooked. 38% of respondents stated they go to those websites for streaming sporting events, 37% utilize the internet sites to download music and video games that are not easy to get, and 36% reported they would check out those sites if they have good discounts on purchases.
The risks due to bad cybersecurity practices are not only theoretical. Poor cyber hygiene is taken advantage of by threat actors and often allows compromise of accounts. When asked about threat experiences, 45% of respondents mentioned they had received a telephone call from somebody saying to be from the government and 36% of participants mentioned they would reply to communication if it looked like it came from an official company.
Under 40% of people consider the security problems of accessing the Web such as potential device or network attacks, malicious applications, or malware downloads. The number of survey respondents affected by password security risks is worrying. One of the biggest password security errors is utilizing the same password on several accounts. When passwords are obtained during a data breach of an organization, a credential stuffing attack may be done that would permit access to every account where that password has been utilized. 42% of survey respondents mentioned they reuse passwords across various accounts.
The best practice for creating passwords is to utilize a mix of numbers, upper and lower-case letters, and symbols, and to refrain from using personal data in passwords. 31% of participants confessed they use their birthday as their password, although many people will know the details and even find it on social media profiles pages. The survey additionally revealed that 34% of men and women are reactive and not proactive with regards to password security, and would just modify a password if they receive a security advisory regarding an attempt to access their account via an unrecognized IP address. These bad password practices continue even if a lot of people assert they know about cybersecurity, and password managers are extensively offered for free or at a low price that can significantly enhance password security.
These bad cyber practices ought to be a concern for companies. In case individuals are lax concerning personal security in spite of knowing the threats of identity theft and fraud, it is probable that those poor practices may likewise happen at work. Employers must make sure they offer regular security awareness training to show their workers how taking risks like these could put the company in danger.