Recent research shows that while many Brits will close their laptop cameras in the name of privacy, a worrying number are just as willing to enter all sorts of personal details into an online game in order to get a result they can share with their friends.
The survey of 10,000 consumers worldwide, including 1,000 in the UK, was conducted by Arlington Research and commissioned by Kaspersky, the controversial anti-malware company that was recently labelled a security risk by US authorities.
The survey participants were between 18 and 40 years old and stated that they were interested in new technologies.
The results show that the infosec community needs to do more to educate users about online security.
While nearly half (49 percent) of respondents took the sensible measure of covering their webcam when not in use, a similar number (44 percent) admitted to “taking fun tests or mini-games on social media and posting the results.” Thirty-five percent were somewhat superstitious about digitally forwarded messages, sending them to friends and family so as not to break a chain. Twenty-five percent put their smartphone in a special case so hackers couldn’t steal their data.
According to Kaspersky, 21 percent of Brits believe that a magnet can wipe a smartphone. (This might be true if you used that magnet to smash the device into millions of tiny pieces.) The sound you hear is a thousand IT experts slapping their palms against each other’s faces.
It gets worse. Almost half (40 percent) of users believe that the browser’s “incognito mode” makes their activities invisible to everyone, and almost a quarter (24 percent) assume that an encrypted messaging service like WhatsApp makes using live links safe. 22 percent believe that iOS-based products are immune to all hacking attempts.
However, some concerns are also realistic. Forty-one percent of respondents expressed suspicion about the amount of data modern cars collect. That’s a fair question, especially after Mozilla’s damning 2023 report on the information-gathering habits of certain automakers.
The problem is further compounded by the fact that the users surveyed span an age range. One would expect this group to be more tech-savvy, yet they seem to be exposed to the same myths and misinformation that are prevalent in the average WhatsApp groups of friends and family.
David Emm, senior security researcher at Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team, said: “Our research underscores the importance of a well-informed approach to cybersecurity and digital privacy.
“To ensure safety and security, we must maintain a critical mindset and rely only on verified sources and facts. This means ignoring unproven techniques and myths while remaining aware of the digital discrepancies that permeate our online lives.” ®
