Cyber threats hugely underestimated

Cyber threats hugely underestimated

Significantly more people (66 per cent) believe they are more likely to fall victim to a physical home break-in than those fearing a digital crime (34 per cent), according to new research from BT.

The research has revealed that more than a third of people (34 per cent) do not consider poor digital security as being a risk to their home.

And despite calls for greater awareness of cybercrime, only 11 per cent of people think their wi-fi or smartphones could be the most likely source of a crime, compared to 58 per cent who believe their front doors, windows or back door are more likely to be targeted.

Across the UK citizens are failing to take advantage of the free security solutions made available to them by their phone and broadband providers.

Only a third of parents and guardians (36 per cent) take advantage of parental control technology to manage web access. This is despite the fact that almost half (49 per cent) of parents are concerned about their children falling victim to cybercrime and 39 per cent admitting that their child has accidentally seen inappropriate content online.

The research highlights worrying security gaps amongst ‘tech savvy’ younger generations. Password protection is the biggest issue for 16-24 year olds, with 40 per cent admitting that they use the same password on all devices. Amongst respondents aged 25-34 years – the age-group most likely to be first-time buyers – almost a quarter (24 per cent) admit they’re not confident about the digital security of their homes.