Kaspersky Lab Report Reveals the Online Habits of Consumers over 55 Years Old

86 percent of consumers 55 years old and over don’t believe they
are a target for cybercriminals

WOBURN, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#kaspersky—Kaspersky
Lab today released the company’s latest research with B2B
International which may raise concerns about the safety of internet
users over 55 years old. The findings of the research, in a report
entitled: “Older and Wiser? A look at the Threats Faced by Over-55s
Online,” demonstrates that this age group is behaving insecurely online
and often becomes the victim of fraud.

The survey questioned 12,546 internet users across the globe and the
results suggest that the older generation is actually a very attractive
target for cybercriminals. When they are online, many over-55s shop,
bank and communicate with loved ones without effectively protecting
themselves, and the things that are most important to them, from
cybercriminals.

Despite the fact that this age group is more likely to install security
software on their computers, they are less likely to protect their
mobile devices or amend their behavior online to stay safe. For example,
they use high privacy settings on social media and in their internet
browser less than other age groups (30 percent vs. 38 percent). They are
also unlikely to use the security functions that come with their devices
(such as ‘find my device’) or VPN – 28 percent and 10 percent
respectively compared to 42 percent and 16 percent respectively of users
across all ages.

The older generation is using the internet for many aspects of their
lives – increasing their vulnerability to cybercriminals if they
continue to go online without taking security precautions. They are
using the internet to communicate with others – 94 percent of consumers
over 55 years old use email regularly. They are also going online to
complete day-to-day tasks. This age group is more likely than others to
conduct financial transactions over the internet, with 90 percent
claiming to shop and bank online (compared to an average 84 percent of
users across all age groups).

Yet despite all of this, nearly half of those over 55 years old (49
percent) worry about their vulnerability when purchasing products online
and the vast majority (86 percent) do not believe they are a target for
cybercriminals. Worryingly, four in ten (40 percent) have put themselves
at risk by sharing financial details in the public domain (compared with
15 percent across all age groups).

The lack of security awareness is causing this generation to be
victimized by cybercriminals. According to the report, 20 percent of
internet users overall have older relatives that have encountered
malicious software, and 14 percent have older relatives that have fallen
for fake prize draws online. In addition, 13 percent have older
relatives that have shared too much personal information about
themselves online and 12 percent have older relatives that have become
the victim of an online scam, seen inappropriate/explicit content, or
communicated with dangerous strangers online.

“On the one hand, it’s great to see that so many over-55s are using the
internet to shop, bank and stay connected with loved ones,” said Andrei
Mochola, head of consumer business at Kaspersky Lab. “The report shows
clearly that this generation is embracing a connected life, and all of
the opportunities that come with it. On the other hand, however, it’s
clear that the over-55s are not doing enough to protect themselves
properly. Worryingly, they don’t even believe they are a target for
cybercriminals, but they are putting themselves in danger time and
again. At Kaspersky Lab, we are urging older internet users to become
more aware of the dangers they face online, and to act in a more
cyber-savvy manner. We are also encouraging younger internet users to
help their older relatives and friends to better protect themselves from
the very real threats posed by cybercriminals. Being vigilant online, as
well as installing reliable security solutions and ensuring high privacy
settings on all devices used to access the internet, will ensure a happy
and healthy connected life.”

To find out more about older users’ online behavior and the threats they
face online, please visit this page: https://press.kaspersky.com/files/2016/09/Report_Over-55s_Online_ENG.pdf

You can also check your own level of cyber-savviness here: https://blog.kaspersky.com/cyber-savvy-quiz/.

To read more tips on how to protect yourself online, click here: https://blog.kaspersky.com/tag/cybersavvy.

About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997.
Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is
constantly transforming into security solutions and services to protect
businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around
the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes
leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security
solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital
threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab
technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what
matters most to them.
Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.

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Contacts

Kaspersky Lab
Denise Bertrand, 781-503-1836
denise.bertrand@kaspersky.com