COVID-19 Pandemic Leaves Consumers Vulnerable to Cybercrime
April 13 2021 - 5:00AM
Business Wire
New research from NortonLifeLock finds nearly
330 million people in 10 countries experienced cybercrime in the
last 12 months, spending 2.7 billion hours dealing with the
aftermath
Over the past year, people around the world1 (65%) report
spending more time online than ever before, likely a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic. As we connected to the internet for everything
from work and school to entertainment, social connection and even
groceries, cybercriminals took advantage and launched coordinated
attacks and convincing scams. Today, NortonLifeLock, a global
leader in consumer Cyber Safety, revealed that in the past year
nearly 330 million people across 10 countries were victims of
cybercrime and more than 55 million people were victims of identity
theft. Cybercrime victims collectively spent nearly 2.7 billion
hours trying to resolve their issues.
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The 6th annual Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report, conducted
online in partnership with The Harris Poll among over 10,000 adults
in 10 countries including 1,000 in the United States, also found
one-quarter of Americans (25%) detected unauthorized access to an
account or device in the past 12 months. Of the nearly 108 million
Americans who experienced cybercrime in the past 12 months (41%),
an average of 6.7 hours2 was spent trying to resolve the issues
created, for an estimated over 719 million hours of Americans’ time
lost to cybercrime. With the rise in online criminal activity3,
nearly half of Americans (47%) feel more vulnerable to cybercrime
than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“This past year has been incredibly challenging as we’ve
navigated the emotional and physical effects of a global pandemic.
What’s more, there is the added concern for the online health and
safety of our families as we spend more time online,” says Paige
Hanson, chief of cyber safety education, NortonLifeLock.
“Cybercriminals have taken advantage of our changing behaviors and
increased digital footprint.”
Americans’ increased time online and inability to tell fact from
fiction may be key drivers of their cybercrime insecurity.
Seventy-three percent of Americans say they are spending more time
online than ever before, with 59% saying they are more worried than
ever before about becoming a victim of cybercrime and 56% admitting
it’s difficult for them to determine if information they see online
is from a credible source. Further, 76% believe remote work has
made it much easier for hackers and cybercriminals to take
advantage of people.
“Despite vulnerability and confusion this year, we are starting
to see a silver lining with consumers fighting back and taking a
more active role in protecting their digital lives,” said
Hanson.
As a result of cybercrime concerns, 77% of Americans say they
have taken more precautions online. Further, almost all Americans
who detected unauthorized access to an account or device in the
past 12 months (99%) took some action to better their Cyber Safety,
including creating stronger password(s) (66%) or contacting the
company the account was hacked from (51%). Many turned to family
member(s) (33%) or the internet (31%) for help, while others
invested more in security software through first-time purchases or
doubled down on pre-existing subscriptions (18%).
Additional U.S. findings include:
- Data privacy a top concern: 88% of Americans are
concerned about data privacy and more than 8 in 10 (86%) have
actively taken steps to hide their online footprint (i.e., to
protect their online activities and personal information),
including creating stronger passwords (55%) and limiting
information shared on social media (40%).
- While precautions have increased, 2 in 5 Americans (40%)
admit they don’t know how to protect themselves from
cybercrime. Nearly half of Americans (46%) would have no idea
what to do if their identity was stolen and 77% wish they had more
information on what to do if it were.
- Younger generations feel less confident about resolving
identity theft: Those under 40 are much more likely to say they
would have no idea what to do if their identity was stolen (62% vs.
37%) and that they wish they had more information on what to do if
their identity were stolen (87% vs. 70%).
For more information on how you can help protect your digital
life, please visit the Norton Internet Security Center.
About the Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report
The research was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf
of NortonLifeLock among 10,030 adults (aged 18+) in 10 countries.
The survey was conducted February 15-28, 2021 in Australia
(n=1,005), France (n=1,000), Germany (n=1,001), India (n=1,000),
Italy (n=1,000), Japan (n=1,020), Netherlands (n=1,000), New
Zealand (n=1,004), United Kingdom (n=1,000), and United States
(n=1,000). Data are weighted where necessary to bring them in line
with their actual proportions in the population; India was weighted
to the population of those who are online. Weighted variables
varied by country and included one or more of the following: age,
gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, internet
usage, household size, household income, size of place, and
propensity to be online. A global postweight was applied to ensure
equal weight of each country in the global total. Population
projection estimates cited are calculated based on adult population
(age 18+) figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 International
Data Base and Pew Research Center 2017 Global Attitudes Survey. No
estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About NortonLifeLock
NortonLifeLock Inc. (NASDAQ: NLOK) is a global leader in
consumer Cyber Safety, protecting and empowering people to live
their digital lives safely. We are the consumer’s trusted ally in
an increasingly complex and connected world. Learn more about how
we’re transforming Cyber Safety at www.NortonLifeLock.com.
No one can prevent all cybercrime or identity theft. 1
Australia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New
Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States 2 Average has been
trimmed to remove outliers. 3 COVID-19 and Stimulus Reports -
Federal Trade Commission
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Jenna Torluemke NortonLifeLock Inc. (415) 767-7800
Jenna.Torluemke@NortonLifeLock.com Heaven Lampshire Edelman for
NortonLifeLock Inc. (541) 852-7885 Heaven.Lampshire@edelman.com
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