If you keep tabs on cybersecurity, you probably know how dynamic this landscape is. There are a lot of moving pieces, and it’s borderline impossible to see the complete picture unless you are an expert in the cybersecurity niche with years of experience.
The field might even appear dull if you have no personal interest. However, some quite exciting developments will blow your mind even if you cannot fully grasp the importance of your data. Here are the seven facts about online privacy and security that might surprise you.
Identity theft is the most common problem
Hackers are after your private data. They can use your sensitive data to assume your identity. According to Cifas statistics, identity fraud incidents increased by 22% in 2021 in the UK. Thus, the trend indicates that more users must be aware of this disturbing crime.
What do hackers do with all this data? Can they use it to wreak chaos in your life? Yes, they can.
It appears that hackers are after your money. When they get hold of your sensitive data, the chances are that they will use it to make fraudulent charges on your credit and debit cards.
Email is the hackers’ favourite malware injection channel
There are several ways hackers can infect your devices with malware. Malware can enable them to take control of your device, download your data, or see what you are doing online, including your passwords. However, one channel is by far the most attractive among hackers.
Over 90% of malware infections result from clicking on a link in a phishing email. Hackers manage to impersonate businesses and trustworthy people and use online users’ trust to get them to click on links delivered via email. Using appraised email security solutions, you can easily avoid falling victim to such a scam.
Did you know that the first “hackers” got away with it?
Every criminal’s dream is to get away with their crime. It appears that the first “hackers” managed to do it ever so effortlessly. The crime took place long before the internet became a thing.
In 1864, the Blanc brothers bribed a telegraph operator to steal financial market data from the French Telegraph System. It took authorities two years to discover this classic data theft, but the Blanc brothers got away because there was no “data theft” law back then.
Every 1 in 10 people read the privacy policy
Many laws and regulations determine how websites and online companies collect and use consumer data. The law requires website owners and online businesses to put a privacy policy consumers can access at any time. The policy outlines the company’s data recording, storing, and usage practices.
Some online companies can sell your data to private companies if they disclose it in the privacy policy and accept the terms. Yet, the same survey finds out that only 9% of people in the US read the privacy policies before accepting the terms.
Almost 70% of online users are not happy with cybersecurity laws
In recent years we’ve got some major cybersecurity and data privacy laws. Two major ones are the EU’s GDPR and California’s CPA. However, online users are not happy with these laws. They are mostly concerned with cybersecurity laws’ implementations.
Now, 68% of online users believe that governments will not be able to implement these laws to the full extent. They think their online data and privacy are still exposed to risks such as data leaks and theft.
Almost 2,000 people fall victim to cyber-attacks every minute
The number of people that fall victim to cyber-attacks every minute is staggering. We have 1,861 new cyber-attack victims every minute. In terms of finances, cybercrime generates over $1,000,000 in losses every minute, and there is one cyber-attack every 39 seconds.
When it comes to hackers’ favourite business targets, small businesses take the lead with 65,000 cyber-attacks daily. The time couldn’t be better for small businesses to implement better security practices.
People are getting more aware of online security
The best way to address the cybersecurity risk is to increase the awareness of online security and cyber threats. Thousands of blog articles and YT videos are starting to deliver results. People are getting increasingly aware of online security.
One of the key principles of digital security and privacy is using the right tools. For instance, a VPN for Windows devices at home has become essential. It helps protect against IP-based tracking and stops snoopers from intercepting online activities. Additionally, it is beneficial if you like connecting to free Wi-Fi. The latter has many dangers, and Virtual Private Networks on smartphones and laptops defend you against most of them.
Conclusion
As you can see, the field of online privacy and security can offer some interesting facts to an average online user. You can determine several things from these facts and stats. The best thing you can do for yourself is read those privacy policies and use more restrictive privacy settings in your browsers and frequently used apps.
