Security News > 2021 > October > Everyday cybersecurity practices inadequate among many online consumers

"Understanding consumer online security behavior trends is crucial for strengthening cybersecurity across society at large," said Bogdan Botezatu, director, threat research and reporting at Bitdefender.

The report, based on a survey that polled more than 10,000 consumer internet users across 11 countries, examines the use of popular online platforms and services, personal cybersecurity practices, level of exposure to threats and more.

Poor password practices are still common - Fifty-percent surveyed said they use a single password for all online accounts, and 32% use just a few passwords and reuse them across multiple accounts.

The United States led all other countries in the survey with unsupervised access approaching 50% compared to all other countries reporting less than 40%. Majority of consumers are highly exposed - When analyzing all respondent behaviors, from password reuse, to the number of online accounts and services, to sharing of account details and lack of security services on their devices, almost 60% of consumers were deemed "Exposed" or "Rather exposed." Just 11% of respondents could be described as "Secure" in terms of their cybersecurity practices.

Smart phones used most frequently to access online services - 74% of respondents primarily access online services using a personal smartphone, with 61% of those using the Android operating system.

Most have social media and online shopping accounts - Sixty-three percent of respondents reported having a social media account and 54% an online shopping account.

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