Avast survey shows that device divide opens up Indians to different cyber threats
New research from Avast (LSE: AVST), a global leader in digital security and privacy, today revealed that older and younger generations are being targeted by different online threats based on the primary device that they use to go online.
The research, which forms part of a comprehensive global study with YouGov into digital citizenship trends, found that a majority of those aged 65+ (40%) and the age group of 25-35 (39%) primarily use their desktop computer or laptop to go online. This makes them more susceptible to ransomware, tech support scams, spyware/Trojans, and Botnets, which can be accidentally or unknowingly downloaded or accessed via links in emails or through malicious websites.
In contrast, 25-34 and 35-44 year olds mainly use their smartphone to go online (87% each) followed by 18-24 year olds (85%) making them targets for Adware, mobile banking Trojans, downloader and FluBot SMS scams spreading malware, and Instagram and TikTok scams promoting adware apps or Fleeceware. Across all devices, younger and older generations are also targets for phishing attacks and romance scams.
According to Avast Threat Labs data, on desktops Avast blocked on average over 1.46 million ransomware attacks each month in 2021, and between January and April this year, there were 5.9 million tech support scam attack attempts worldwide each month.
On mobile devices, the top threats last quarter were: adware (59%), mobile banking Trojans (9.7%), and downloaders (7.9%), which are harmful apps that use social engineering tactics to trick victims into installing more malicious or otherwise unwanted apps. FluBot has also been spreading widely on mobile in most countries, including India, where Avast blocked 3,500 attacks monthly in August and September this year, out of 35,000 attacks blocked on average globally per month in Q3.
The most important internet activity for 35-44 year olds is using social media (36%). For 55-64 year olds it’s banking and finance activities (38%), followed by video calling with friends and family (32%). This shows why these generation are targeted on their smartphone with scams on Instagram and TikTok, FluBot SMS and email phishing scams that look like they’ve come from friends or family, and mobile banking Trojans.
In comparison, the most important activity for the 65+ year olds (41%), 18-24 (31%), 25-34 years olds (35%) and 45-54 year olds (36%) is using a search engine. This helps to explain why this large section of the population is more likely to be targets for key threats on computers including ransomware, email phishing scams and spyware/Trojans targeting their finances, and tech support scams.
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Bangalore, India, 24 November 2021
