[attach id=236004 size="medium"]Theft of password or account information is cited as a concern for 47 per cent of respondents.[/attach]
Around 55 per cent of global respondents are experiencing multiple online risks, yet only 16 per cent say they take multiple proactive steps to help protect themselves and their data, the second annual Microsoft Computing Safety Index has found.
The research was conducted by Microsoft Corporation to mark this year’s international Safer Internet Day. This year the MCSI also examined mobile safety behaviours, discovering that although less than half of respondents (42 per cent) run software updates on their personal computers, only 28 per cent run regular updates on their mobile devices, potentially compounding their risk.
“Mobile devices often have just as much, if not more, valuable personal information stored on them as a home computer, making mobile devices equally attractive to data-stealing criminals,” Microsoft’s incoming chief online safety officer Jacqueline Beauchere said.
“The latest MCSI results demonstrate that no matter where or how people access the internet, exercising safer online habits is essential. There are steps that people can take and technologies that they can employ to help prevent them from becoming a victim.”
The MCSI surveyed more than 10,000 PC, smartphone and tablet users in 20 countries and regions about their personal approach to online safety and assigned a point scale of 0 to 100 based on their answers. The global average score was 34 for PC online safety and 40 for mobile. Countries surveyed in the MCSI were Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US.
Theft of password or account information was cited as a concern for 47 per cent of respondents, with 33 per cent saying they use secure websites and 28 per cent saying they avoid using open wi-fi spots on their mobile devices.
More than 45 per cent of respondents said they worry about computer viruses, with fewer than half (44 per cent) turning and leaving on firewalls, and just more than half (53 per cent) installing antivirus software on their PCs.
Around 45 per cent of those surveyed said they worry about having their identity stolen, yet only 34 per cent have a personal identification number to unlock their mobile device, and just 38 per cent say they educate themselves about the latest steps to help prevent identity theft.