Kaspersky Lab and B2B International conducted a survey to identify the digital threats that Internet users are aware of, as well as the ones they fear most. It turns out that online account hacking is the biggest concern for users. 
For European Internet users, account hacking and malware stealing passwords and confidential information are the biggest concerns, with roughly the same percentage expressing concern about them (64% and 65% respectively).
Financial threats came in third place with 58% worried about losing money from an account, followed by phishing emails and websites (another threat targeting account login details) in fourth place.
On the other hand, credential theft threats were also among those that users seemed most familiar with, with 86% of respondents stating that they are aware of issues such as hacking, phishing and malware that steal credentials. This indicates that the most well-known and most worrying online threat for users is the theft of their digital identity.
The threats that users are least concerned about are DDoS attacks and global espionage campaigns. This may be due to the fact that these types of cyberattacks mainly target companies and rarely threaten ordinary users. As expected, DDoS attacks and espionage campaigns are the threats that users are least familiar with, with 29% and 27% of respondents, respectively, not having heard of them.
A worrying finding from the survey is that 28% of users are unaware of the ransomware threat. This comes at a time when new malware that encrypts files on computers and demands a ransom for a decryption key is appearing more and more frequently.
Kaspersky Lab experts, for example, recently reported a new modification of the Tesla Crypt, which demanded $500 from each victim.
Adware and malicious applications that target webcam access were at the top of the list of threats that users said they were aware of and did not worry about. However, these programs are more dangerous than they seem. Cybercriminals can monitor users or extract confidential information via a webcam or use video clips to blackmail their victims, while “adware” programs can be used to embed even more dangerous programs.
Thus, the survey shows that users still underestimate many digital threats. Interestingly, 51% of European users have noticed a significant increase in the number of online threats, but only 20% believe that they could be the target of digital attacks.
“People worry about the security of their online accounts, although in reality few of them believe that they will become the target of a digital attack. And that’s where they are wrong! Attackers often rely on the element of surprise and attack where users least expect it. For this reason, Kaspersky Lab recommends that Internet users broaden their knowledge of current threats, stay vigilant, and make sure that the security solutions they use are properly prepared and ready to deal with any potential threat,” said Peter Aleshkin, Head of Consumer Marketing for Emerging Markets at Kaspersky Lab.
Kaspersky Internet Security – multi-device 2016 and Kaspersky Total Security – multi-device are universal security solutions that protect users of home computers and mobile devices from known and unknown threats. The products incorporate technologies to protect device owners from malicious software, including password stealers for online services, as well as from financial threats, phishing threats, adware, etc. For systems with Windows operating system, the solution has a mechanism to protect against unauthorized access to the webcam and microphone.
