Global Survey Reveals Shocking Data on Cyber Attacks
A new survey conducted by Kaspersky, which included 21,000 people from around the world, has revealed shocking data about the extent of digital harassment. Nearly a quarter of the participants (23%) reported experiencing some form of online stalking from people they had recently started dating. Additionally, one third of the participants (34%) believe that it is acceptable to search online to verify the social media accounts of people they are dating as a form of due diligence, and 41% admitted to doing so when they started dating someone.
According to the study, which interviewed 1,000 people in 21 countries around the world, online daters take steps to protect themselves while searching for love. However, people are still vulnerable to a troubling increase in stalking and attacks on Valentine’s Day due to the risks posed by location settings, data privacy, and, more broadly, over-sharing.
39% of Participants Experienced Attacks
More than a third of the participants (39%) reported experiencing some form of violence or attacks from a current or former partner. This included receiving unwanted emails or messages for 16% of the participants, and, more alarmingly, being photographed without their consent for 13% of them. 10% of the respondents admitted to being tracked, while another 10% had their social media accounts or emails hacked, and worryingly, 7% discovered covert tracking apps installed on their devices without their consent.
Women Most Vulnerable to Violence
Relatively, more women were exposed to violence or attacks compared to male participants (42% versus 36%). Additionally, more people currently dating were exposed to violence or attacks compared to those in a long-term relationship (48% versus 37%). In fact, 34% of the participants said they were concerned about the possibility of being stalked online, and female participants were more concerned about this possibility compared to males (36% versus 31% of male participants).
David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky, commented: “The Internet of Things, or the connected world, is wonderful and offers countless opportunities. But with opportunities come threats, and one of the threats of the connected world is the ease of access to traceable data, making us vulnerable to attacks. While the blame for these appalling behaviors lies with the stalkers, the victims still bear, unfortunately, the burden of taking steps to reduce the risks. I think it’s great that people take steps to verify identities online, but I would encourage people to pause for a moment and conduct a quick check of any information, passwords, or data they share, and think about how this information could be used if it falls into malicious hands.”