Trend Micro finds that consumers in Singapore are very vulnerable to cybercrime. It is based on their latest survey of 2110 people. It did not mention when this survey was done. However, one thing is consistent. People tend to recycle their passwords and many did not think carefully (me, sometimes) when they post “interesting” pictures of themselves with their GPS location conveniently embedded in them. Check out the Press Release for more details.
Press Release
Trend Micro Finds Consumers in Singapore Vulnerable to Cybercrime
Trend Micro Vulnerability Quotient assesses consumers’ online behavior
Trend Micro reports that though one in four consumers post on their social networks every single day, only 40 per cent have profiles limited to friends only. Worse yet – 25 per cent admitted to only knowing half of their Facebook friends in real-life! Considering the fact that almost 30 per cent of consumers have more than 500 friends on Facebook and 24 per cent have four or more social accounts, imagine just who is “looking out” for you!
We share bits of our daily lives with strangers online with every little thing we share on our social networks. In fact, almost 60 per cent of consumers said they share photos and personally-identifiable information online. For consumers who add “friends” on these same networks, they are actually telling more people that they are aware of!
With increased activity online, cybercriminals now have a larger pool of potential victims to target, whether for financial gain or identity theft. “Everything we do online leaves a digital footprint and it is up to us to safeguard our own digital lives,” said Terrence Tang, Senior Director of Consumer Business, APAC Center Sales and Marketing, Trend Micro. “There are simple ways consumers can stay protected, so that they can enjoy their digital lives freely and with a peace of mind.”
Passwords – the keys to your digital life
Your passwords are the gatekeepers to your every online account. Juggling the multitude of accounts and their passwords, whether emails, financial or social networking accounts, is definitely no easy feat! This is among the reasons why 56 per cent of respondents recycle their passwords, with 25 per cent doing so thrice or more! It’s also appalling to know that 32 per cent do not change their passwords at all and only a mere 15 per cent doing so at least once in three months as recommended!
While 58 per cent of respondents do maintain complicated passwords with eight or more alphanumeric characters, things get complicated when making sure to not repeat and recycle passwords over all accounts and change them regularly. With 53 per cent of consumers holding three to five different passwords at a given time, consumers are encouraged to manage their passwords well, or turn to secure and reputable password managing apps or software.
Hard habit to break?
Singaporeans are truly device enthusiasts. A whopping 61 per cent of consumers personally own more than three smartphones, tablets, laptops or PCs! However, only 20 per cent ensure that they keep all of their devices secure with an Internet security solution. Despite almost all of today’s devices being pre-equipped with built-in security features, one in ten admits to not using any one of them at all!
While Singaporeans are notoriously big consumers of media and trigger happy with just about every camera-enabled device, 20 per cent actually do not back up their data! If they do, only 25 per cent believe against keeping eggs in one basket and saving it in multiple places.
Men versus women; who is more conscious of their online privacy?
The truth is in the numbers – men are indeed (slightly) more diligent about security! Here’s why:
- More men hold open profiles on social networks than women, who are found to be more private on social networks. However, men are found to also post more generic, non-personal information compared to their female counterparts.
- Interestingly, more females have more than 1,000 friends on Facebook! Looks like females are indeed social butterflies!
- More men tend to hold more different passwords and make a point to secure all their devices. A significantly higher number of men back-up their data on a weekly basis!
The bottom line is that whatever your online habits may be, there is always space to safeguard your online privacy, by taking the simple step to protect your digital life and lower your vulnerability quotient!
Trend MicroTM TitaniumTM Maximum Security 2014
Only just launched this September, the Trend Micro Titanium is the flagship all-in-one security solution that utilizes state-of-the-art cloud-based technology to proactively stop threats before they reach users. Trend MicroTM TitaniumTM Maximum Security 2014 features:
- First-of-its-kind technology for social networking security – the Privacy Scanner for Windows now NEWLY EXTENDED to include Google+ and Twitter in addition to Facebook, monitors privacy settings and flags potential privacy concerns.
- Trend Micro™ DirectPass™ password management system that help you maintain multiple passwords and securely log on to websites. It also includes a secure browser to conduct safe online commerce that is specifically designed to support secure online banking.
- Trend Micro™ Online Guardian™ and parental controls to monitor kids on social networks and online activities.
- Includes tools for protecting data from loss or theft including Secure Erase file shredder, Trend Micro Vault with remote file lock and a 5GB Trend Micro™ SafeSync™ account (25 GB in Titanium Premium Security) to protect, share and access files for Titanium Maximum and Titanium Premium products respectively.
- Set-and-forget security – won’t hassle users with alerts and pop-ups. Intuitive interface is easy to install and use with simple screens and reports.
- Extended protection for a single device or up to five devices; available for laptops, smartphones and tablets across Android, Mac and Windows, including support for the Windows 8 operating system.
Pricing and Availability
Trend Micro’s range of Titanium products is available in Singapore today at all leading IT retailers and online at the Trend Micro website. Titanium Maximum Security is SGD$39 for 1 device or SGD$99 for 3 devices. Titanium Premium Security is SGD$129 for 5 devices.
About Trend Micro
Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in security software, strives to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our solutions for consumers, businesses and governments provide layered data security to protect information on mobile devices, endpoints, gateways, servers and the cloud. Trend Micro enables the smart protection of information, with innovative security technology that is simple to deploy and manage, and fits an evolving ecosystem. All of our solutions are powered by cloud-based global threat intelligence, the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ infrastructure, and are supported by over 1,200 threat experts around the globe. For more information, visit TrendMicro.com.
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