The online threat landscape continues to evolve. Not only do we need to continue innovating and refining our protection techniques, but we also need to stay on top of our cybersecurity education in order to protect each other from these attacks. As it happens, a number of people still don’t use any cybersecurity on their personal devices. To better understand these patterns, and to help create a cybersmart community as more aspects of our daily lives become internet-connected, we took it upon ourselves to gather data from home users in the form of a survey.

First, how many people use cybersecurity?

We found that 14% of users surveyed don’t use any cybersecurity protection whatsoever. Sure, we could tell you all you should be using our cloud-based SecureAnywhere® protection, but, in all honesty, it’s more important to us that people protect themselves in the first place, whether they’re our customers or not. You can help your friends become CyberSmart by sharing this blog or by sending a Tweet to your network. Foregoing an antivirus solution and neglecting to layer your cyber defenses exposes you to an ever-evolving barrage of malware and phishing, not to mention SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and man-in-the-middle attacks.

Cybersmart

Are You CyberSmart?

Given how many free antivirus solutions are available, the number of survey participants who still don’t use any device protection was much higher than we expected. (Do keep in mind, however, that a large number of the free solutions come with potentially unwanted applications in tow. When it comes to cybersecurity, you tend to get what you pay for.)

No matter which protection you choose to use, we recommend taking a few simple steps to minimize your risk of being targeted by attackers. Enabling automatic updates for your operating system, apps, and programs, and layering your Wi-Fi security are easy but effective ways to close the gap. Also, be sure to use strong, unique passwords for your sensitive accounts. Although you’ve probably heard that one before, you’d be amazed at how many people still reuse passwords between various accounts, including their banking and other financial logins.

Cybersmart

Nearly half of users in our survey admitted to reusing their passwords. If you’re one of them, and you find yourself thinking, “but I have so many logins and it’s too hard to remember all my different passwords,” we understand. We’ve all faced this question at one time or another during the internet age. But you can use a secure password manager to ease the burden of having to keep track of so many credentials.

My Webroot, Anywhere

Whether you’re already part of the family, want to take Webroot SecureAnywhere® for a free test drive, or purchase,  we provide an online management account where you can centrally control your various connected home and mobile devices (and also manage your passwords.) If you haven’t already, take advantage of our advanced protection features today by setting up your My Webroot Anywhere account.

Blog Staff

About the Author

Blog Staff

The Webroot blog offers expert insights and analysis into the latest cybersecurity trends. Whether you’re a home or business user, we’re dedicated to giving you the awareness and knowledge needed to stay ahead of today’s cyber threats.

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