tech

Japanese users not proactive enough about cybersecurity: survey

9 Comments

ESET, a global pioneer in proactive protection for more than two decades, on Wednesday released the ESET Japan Cyber-Savviness Report 2016 showing that while users in Japan are knowledgeable about cybersecurity and take few risks online, they still have some way to go in ensuring that they are adequately protected when they access the Internet.

Interestingly, the findings show that while more than 70% of the respondents did not receive any formal education about cybersecurity, at least 4 out of 5 respondents were able to correctly answer basic cybersecurity questions. This level of knowledge, the highest of any Asia-Pacific market, was consistent between the different age groups surveyed.

The survey polled 1,033 respondents in Japan to gain insights into attitudes, knowledge and user behavior there when it comes to cybersecurity.

Compared with the results of the ESET Asia Cyber-Savviness Report 2015 and the ESET Vietnam Cyber-Savviness Report 2015 (covering seven other Asia-Pacific markets), Japan had the highest cyber-savviness score ahead of Malaysia, Singapore, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Vietnam, in that order. Cyber-savviness is based on factors such as users' knowledge or ability to understand activities that are likely to make them vulnerable online, risky behaviors while surfing the web, and the proactive steps they can take to protect themselves online.

However, the Japan survey results point to a significant gap between user awareness and implementation of security measures. For example, while as many as 96% of respondents were aware of the security threat posed by using the same password for different accounts, only 1 in 5 people actually set separate passwords for their individual online accounts.

"In Asia-Pacific, Japan has always taken the lead in technology adoption and innovation. The country relies on data, online communications and information technology to drive innovation and efficiency, resulting in increased exposure to cybersecurity risks," said Parvinder Walia, Sales and Marketing Director, ESET Asia-Pacific. "The ESET Japan Cyber-Savviness Report 2016 highlights that even with all the technological advancements in Japan, there are still holes within the country's cybersecurity fabric that need to be filled. To help users in Japan feel confident as they make use of various technologies, there is an urgent need to ensure that users take concrete preventive steps while continuing to strengthen cybersecurity awareness across the country."

Survey results also showed that overall, users in Japan do not engage in risky cyber behavior. Most respondents (86%) know to immediately disconnect a breached device from the Internet and 71% do not open or download attachments from unknown senders.

However, more than half of the people surveyed said they are worried about potential cybersecurity threats. Anxiety about cybersecurity increases with age, and corresponds with the perception that online scams and hackings of social media accounts are "very common", despite the fact that only eight percent of respondents have ever experienced a cyber-attack.

Walia added: "All it takes to fend off cyber criminals is the consistent use of simple preventive measures. It's a shame that so many people are not actively using their knowledge of cybersecurity when little things like maintaining proper passwords could help alleviate their anxieties and enable them to use the Internet safely and with confidence."

© PR Newswire

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

9 Comments
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RSA tokens can vastly increase the security of any account you have when coupled with username/passwords. They are still limited in their application but are beginning to catch on to wider use. If you have an account anywhere that can get one I would highly recommend getting it. Most can be loaded as an app on you smart phone with minimal effort.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

RSA Tokens

RSA tokens require a pretty serious infrastructure, and cost a lot per device/license.

If you're talking about multi-factor authentication so that you don't only rely on username/password, there are far cheaper (from free to $10-20) consumer-friendly methods.

Google Authenticator (or any of the similar ones) Yubikey etc.
0 ( +0 / -0 )

2 factor everything and be done with it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

When the majority of users prefer to install free apps from anywhere instead of paying the price of a cup of coffee for app made by registered companies, there is ton of breaches opened for any hackers to, well,.... hack.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Shutting down porn sites would stop a lot of hacking.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I think its kind of a lost cause to be honest...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Worrying about safety...and using (read: being used) at the same time facebook and Line :-) LOL

As a side note: knowing the amount of online personal details my young children use and share both in Europe and Japan. They should be taught at school about it.

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Shutting down porn sites would stop a lot of hacking. LOL shutting down the internet altogether would probably be as easy

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Also, get the people here off XP. That would work wonders.

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