The coronavirus pandemic may have stopped us from travelling abroad, but it’s safe to say much of our lives have gone into the virtual world since the global lockdown.
A recent study by cybersecurity and anti-virus provider Kaspersky found that six-in-10 internet users from Southeast Asia (SEA) are more aware of their increased time online than ever before.
The survey, titled ‘More connected than ever before: how we build our digital comfort zones’, conducted among 760 interviewees from SEA last May dug deeper on how users create a safe, internet-connected home during the pandemic-related lockdowns across the region.
According to the report, the five most common activities among respondents in SEA have shifted from the physical to the online world are shopping (64%), content streaming and online gaming (58%), socialising with family and friends (56%), conducting financial matters (47%), and attending online tutorials (39%).
But as much as these numbers give us an insight on what internet users in the region are doing online, there are still some people who are concerned about cybersecurity, and would rather avoid doing some of these things online in fear of losing data privacy.
When asked for their worries’ extent, 42% of the respondents admitted to being afraid about someone accessing their financial details through their devices, some 37% are worried about their private documents being accessible to third parties, while another 35% are concerned about someone taking control of their devices through their insecure internet connection.
“This time shows us how useful a tool technology can be but it should also make us rethink how we secure our home networks against malicious threats online,” said Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky.
“The concerns which we’ve unmasked in our research proved that there is a growing awareness towards the cruel aftermath of cyberattacks. However, this same study showed us that there are still 37% of internet users in the region who think they are not at risk because someone else is more interesting for cybercriminals. This thinking has to end now more than ever. It is high time to think really carefully about the defenses we are building around our digital lives and to place its security among our topmost priority,” Yeo added.
To start building better security for your devices and your home, Kaspersky suggests:
· Improve your mindset about cybersecurity. Everyone with data and money can be a target for cybercriminals.
· Use strong passwords across all your accounts and devices, including your home router.
· Start using “Privacy Checker” that helps consider setting your social media profiles to private. It will make it harder for third parties to find highly personal information
· Install endpoint security solutions to keep your devices safe from malware and viruses.
And for those who are working from home:
· Take key data protection measures to safeguard corporate data and devices, including switching on password protection, encrypting work devices and ensuring data is backed up
· Ensure devices, software, applications and services are kept updated with the latest patches
Don’t take internet security for granted, guys!
by Kyle Roshen Jacob
