Survey Results: Norton 2010 Cybercrime Report

Last week, Norton released its 2010 Cybercrime Report. The main finding is that cybercrime is a huge, worldwide problem:

"For the first time, this report reveals that nearly two thirds of adults globally have been a victim of some kind of cybercrime (65%). Cybercrime hotspots where adults have experienced cybercrime include: 83%, China; 76% Brazil/India; 73% USA."

What is "cybercrime?" Cybercrime includes:

"Computer viruses and malware attacks are the most common types of cybercrime people suffer from, with 51% of adults globally feeling the effects of these. In New Zealand, Brazil and China it’s even worse, with more than six out of 10 computers getting infected (61%, 62% and 65% respectively). Adults around the world have also been on the receiving end of online scams, phishing attacks, hacking of social networking profiles and credit card fraud."

Readers can download one or several several country-specific versions of the report. I downloaded the United States version. Some of the detailed findings:

• 73% of adults in the USA (compared to 65% of adults worldwide) reported experiencing some form of cybercrime
• 2% of adults in the USA (compared to 3% of adults worldwide) expect to not be a victim of some form of cybercrime
• 78% of adults in the USA (compared to 79% of adults worldwide) expect cybercriminals will not be brought to justice
• In the USA, 67% of adults are angry about it, and 59% are frustrated. Worldwide, the comparable statistics are 58% and 51%
• When asking for help, in the USA 59% of adults call their bank, 54% change their behavior, and 44% call their Internet Service Provider (ISP). Worldwide, the comparable statistics are 51%, 48% and 44%
• In the USA, the average cost to resolve cybercrime is $128 and 24 days. Worldwide, the comparable statistics are $334 and 28 days.
• 25% of adults in the USA (and 31% worldwide) reported not being able to resolve cybercrime.
• 51% of adults in the USA (and 45% worldwide) believe that you can never restore an online reputation after a cybercrime event

The online survey was conducted February 2-22, 2010 for Symantec Corporation by StrategyOne, an independent market research firm. The survey included 7,066 adults aged 18 and over in 14 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States). The survey used the primary language in each country.

Only 9% of adults worldwide feel very safe online. Combine that statistic with any of the above findings about expecting to be a victim, criminals not being brought to justice,, feelings of anger, and the cost of resolution and you have a very sad commentary on the state of today's Internet.

The report confirms something I have said for a long time. Consumers demand control over their sensitive personal information -- the number one rule consumers in the USA use as a solution to protect themselves online. In the USA, the leading "common-sense rules" consumers in the USA use to protect themselves online are:

• 79% safeguard personal information
• 78% never disclose online passwords
• 78% don't open email/links from strangers
• 78% are skeptical of offers that seem too good to be true

This blog contains plenty of resources to help consumers stay safe online. To learn more, click on the "List of Lists" or "Reviews" links in the horizontal navigation bar at the top of this page. If you use Facebook.com, you see the list of blog posts in the Facebook module in the near-right column.

Comments

[kumari ankita]

hiiii i am ankita. somebody hacked my mail id. what i can do the stop of my mail id please help me.

[George]

Ankita:

Sorry to hear of your troubles. For your own security and safety, I have deleted your email address from the above blog post. People will leave any suggestions below in a comment. So, no need to further expose your email address to spam.

Since your email account has been hacked, try to change the password if you can. If not, contact your email provider and tell them of your situation. Ask them to reset your password or delete the account. You can always open a new account.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

George
Editor
http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com

[Abhay Pratap]

hii i am Abhay. somebody hacked my email id, and now he is send my personal chats n datas to my friends..!! many times i hve tried to recover the password bt failed.
how can i stop it......shud i report to cyber crime..???
pls help me out..!!
as soon as possible.....

[George]

Abhay and everyone:

The Identity Theft Resource Center has a good set of step-by-step instructions about what to do after your email account has been hacked:

"1. Contact the Network Administrator and explain what happened."

"2. If your password has been changed, ask them to issue you a different one. This is a temporary password that will allow you to access the account and change your information. When you are able, permanently change both your password and security question for this account."

"3. Contact everybody in your address book. Inform them of the email takeover. Ask if they have received and/or responded to any emails sent from your account during the time of the takeover. If so, get copies of these emails from them. Look to see if the emails asked for anything (Social Security Number, banking information, money to be sent someplace). If it does, ask the receiver if they sent anything back."

Source:
http://www.idtheftcenter.org/artman2/publish/c_guide/Solution_20.shtml#emailtakeover

Good luck and let us know what happens.

George
Editor
http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com