Bach Seat

A new report (PDF) from recently swallowed and swallowed again Webroot, says that American technology users overestimate their levels of cyber hygiene. Cyber hygiene is a cybersecurity risk mitigation technique introduced by Vinton Cerf in 2000 where you train yourself to think proactively about your cybersecurity. The goal is to resist cyber threats and online security issues to protect and maintain IT systems and devices and implement cybersecurity best practices, just as you do with your daily personal hygiene.

The report says U.S. users do not know how to protect themselves from cyber threats. Americans are overconfident in the perceived protection they have. The endpoint security and threat intelligence provider found that 88% of interviewed Americans believe they are taking the appropriate steps to protect themselves from cyber-attacks.

Their confidence is misplaced. Instead, Americans have only a surface-level understanding of the most common types of cyber threats according to Webroot. We can recognize some of the names of the most common cyber-attacks such as malware (79%) or phishing (70%), but for most, that’s where their knowledge ends. Very few (less than 1 in 3) actually know what these common cyber-attacks are or what they do.

While Americans claim to have heard of some of the most common cyber-attack terms when prompted, very few actually understand what those cyber-attacks are. When asked about critical cyber-hygiene issues like malware, backups passwords, and identity theft surveyed Americans reported:

Malware – 79% have heard of malware, but only 28% can confidently explain what it is. 82% are using some sort of AV software on their personal devices. 62% of those who use AV software use a free product. Only 20% update their AV software each time they are prompted.

Backups – are another weakness. 78% of respondents report backing up their data. However, 57% are still leaving themselves susceptible to risk by only backing up using one method, rather than backing up online (cloud) and offline.

• 34% Automatically backup to the cloud
• 27% Backup to an external hard drive
• 24% Backup to a USB stick
• 22$ backup locally on My Computer
• 17% backup manually to the cloud
• 22% rarely or never back up their data.

Among those who are backing up their information by uploading it to the cloud, only 43% are taking the extra step in ensuring that it’s stored in an encrypted format.

Passwords – Followers of Bach Seat know that passwords suck and the Webroot report confirms it. 33% of Americans admit to sharing their passwords with others. To make matters worse, 63% are reusing passwords across multiple accounts. The research found that Americans have on average 9 passwords for 17 accounts.

Mobile – While on the go, 67% of Americans use public Wi-Fi, but only 35% take the extra step to protect themselves by using a VPN. Additionally, 34% use a work device as their primary personal device at home.

Identity theft 74% of Americans believe their identity stolen has never been stolen.

According to the Webroot whitepaper, the 5 most cyber risky U.S. states are:

1. Mississippi
2. Louisiana
3. California
4. Alaska
5. Connecticut

The 5 least risky U.S. states are

1. New Hampshire
2. North Dakota
3. Ohio
4. Idaho
5. Kentucky

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According to the research conducted by Wakefield for Webroot, Michigan ranked 31 among the 50 states. Overall, the average home user scored a 60% for cyber-hygiene. The researchers also found that those who they classified as “Superstars” tended to be:

• A Boomer
• Married or in a relationship
• Suburbanite
• Not a parent.

Related article

• Over 7,500 Michiganders lost $81 million as victims of cyber crimes in 2018 (The Oakland Press)

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.