More than 1 out of 2 Indian adults were targeted by cybercriminals over the past year, and most are not confident that they know how to prevent these attacks.
COVID-19 Pandemic Issues in Cybercrime Spike
With the world on lockdown over the past year, 7 out of 10 Indian adults believe that working remotely has made things easier for attackers. Over 27 million experienced identity theft with more than half of Indian adults saying that they do not know how to protect themselves.
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NortonLifeLock conducted a global survey, with an Indian sample of 1000 adults. They found that in the past 12 months, nearly 120 million Indian consumers experienced cybercrime with 1.3 billion hours lost in trying to resolve the issues caused by attacks.
63% of Indian consumers state that “they feel more vulnerable to cybercrime than before the COVID-19 pandemic began.” 72% of the individuals surveyed are spending more time online than they have had to in the past since the start of the pandemic, creating more opportunities for cybercrime.
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The silver lining is that there has been a response to the rise in incidents, with 73% of those surveyed reporting that they have taken more precautions online following experiences and reports. 43% created stronger passwords and 36% limited the information they choose to share on social media. More and more efforts are being made to reduce online footprints.
Whether or not these independent measures will have an effect on the rate of future cybercrime is yet to be seen.
