According to Kaspersky Lab tests, many users do not know (or know but do not follow) basic security rules when making online payments or using online banking systems. For example, only half of users check whether a website is authentic before entering financial details, while almost a third consider it completely unnecessary to take any measures to protect their money.
The test, which was conducted online, included a number of potentially dangerous situations that users often encounter online, including financial operations. Over 18,000 users participated in the test.
Participants were asked to choose one of four fake banking websites to enter their account details. Only half of the participants were able to identify the truly secure website that did not have a modified name (changing an organization’s name is a common phishing tactic) and the https prefix indicating an encrypted connection. In addition, 5% of respondents chose sites with misspelled addresses, suggesting that they could be fake websites created to steal users’ financial data.
Users were then asked what steps they would take before entering their financial details to make an online payment. Only 51% of respondents said they verify the authenticity of the website. 21% of respondents use a virtual keyboard to protect passwords from being intercepted by malware, while 20% check whether their security solution is working properly to ensure that the payment is safe from any external interference.
Almost a third of users (29%) said they would not take any additional action because “the websites of large and well-known companies are adequately protected.” However, in most cases, even a protected site cannot guarantee that cybercriminals will not interfere with the payment process or that a device will not be “infected” with a malicious program designed to steal money. 11% of respondents would use “incognito” features to protect a payment, while 4% would resort to an anonymizer solution and 7% would repeatedly “delete” data “to confuse viruses.” Unfortunately, these actions do not help at all in protecting a user’s financial information.
It turned out that some users were just as careless about protecting their payment details in the real world. 20% see no problem leaving their bank card out of sight when paying at a restaurant, thus giving fraudsters the opportunity to make a copy of it.
“This data reinforces what has been observed for some time. Many users continue to put not only themselves and their money at risk, but also the banks and payment systems that businesses use. Dealing with incidents, even if they are caused by inexperienced users, can consume significant resources and have a negative impact on a company’s reputation. The fact that users believe that companies will do everything possible to protect them from online fraud imposes a great deal of responsibility. This means that the use of specialized security measures against online theft becomes a necessity,” said Ross Hogan, Head of Global Fraud Prevention at Kaspersky Lab.
Kaspersky Fraud Prevention platform allows banks to protect financial data and prevent fraud, even if users are careless when handling their money online. Among other things, banks have the option to install a security solution directly on customers’ devices, including mobile devices.
For their part, users, especially those with a lower level of technological knowledge, should install solutions that provide additional protection for online payments, such as Safe Money technology for Windows and Mac OS X, which is integrated into Kaspersky Internet Security – Multi-Device and Kaspersky Total Security – Multi-Device. This technology goes beyond basic protection against electronic threats, creating a special secure environment for conducting financial transactions, which is inaccessible to fraudsters.
