Malaysians are extremely complacent when it comes to cybersecurity; or at least that’s what the most recent Norton Cybersecurity Insights Report has discovered. This complacency is due to the 1,000 Malaysian respondents having some knowledge about cybersecurity, and yet completely ignoring the advice that they have been given.
According to the findings some 74-percent of Malaysians understand that there is a need to protect online information. Despite this, 34-percent of these people had at least one device left vulnerable to ransomware, malicious websites, zero-day exploits and phishing attacks. These people also engaged in the practice of sharing passwords with other people.
A majority of those who left devices undefended (34-percent) believed that they did not engage in “risky” online behaviour, and therefore did not need to secure their actions. This was followed by the opinion that security measures slow down their processes and got in the way of getting things done.
Local respondents also offered contradictory results, like saying that they believed that connected home devices were designed with security in mind; while also believing that these same devices offered hackers a new way to steal data.
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Of course, it also goes without saying that the internet-of-things is largely responsible for the latest wave of DDoS attacks that have plagued the internet.
Ransomware cases are also on the rise, with 1500 cases detected in Malaysia last year. Naturally, many of these cases that affect businesses do not receive publicity; but it appears that cybercriminals in this region are beginning to see how lucrative the scam can be. Norton naturally advises people to avoid paying the ransom as there is no guarantee that the criminals will keep their side of the deal.
Internet users are advised to practice caution when working with the internet, especially when dealing with phishing attempts and connecting to unfamiliar public WiFi networks. Although, it is likely that most Malaysians know this; something that Norton’s own survey already acknowledges.
