Consumers most fear hacking, stolen data

More than two thirds of the participants in a Kaspersky Lab survey fear their online accounts will be hacked.

The survey is intended to determine which cyber threats consumers are aware of and which they fear the most.

The same percentage (68%) was also concerned about malware designed to steal passwords and data on a device.

Results showed that many consumers were concerned with threats to their digital identity, many threats of which they were fully aware. Sixty-three percent of participants were worried about financial cyber threats, followed by 60% who were concerned about phishing emails and websites that attempt to collect user information.

Big picture issues not on their radar

On the other hand, denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and global espionage campaigns were among the dangers that worried consumers the least. Though a large risk for businesses that are the primary targets, these types of attacks rarely impact the average consumer directly. Unsurprisingly, DDoS and espionage campaigns are also the threats that consumers are least familiar with—29% and 27% of respondents, respectively, have not heard about them.

The survey also highlighted that 28% of consumers are ignorant of ransomware threats. That’s in spite of the growing frequency of this type of threat. In a ransomware attack, the criminal encrypts files on computers and demands payment for a decryption key. For example, Kaspersky Lab recently reported a new modification of the Tesla Cryplt Trojan that demanded $500 from each victim.

"People are concerned about the safety of their online accounts, although only a few think they will be targeted by a cyberattack. Attackers often rely on the element of surprise, when users least expect it," says Elena Kharchenko, head of Consumer Product Management, Kaspersky Lab.