A new poll finds Canadians are concerned about cyber threats, but many have not taken steps to protect themselves.
The survey questioned 1500 Canadians for RBC in August.
It found that 47 percent are worried they will be a victim of cybercrime in the coming year.
Overall, the poll revealed that the top concerns around cyber threats and security include:
- Four in five are concerned with unauthorized access to their online accounts or personal information (79 percent)
- Identity theft (77 percent)
- Seven in 10 are concerned about having their email or social media accounts hacked (74 percent)
- Being the victim of online fraud or scam (73 percent)
Across all age groups, two-thirds (65 percent) agree they need to develop a personal recovery plan. Yet despite their concerns, just eight percent have cyber protection through an insurance policy.
The poll also found, most people are aware of better-known cyber threats such as malware (60 percent), phishing (56 percent) and ransomware (47 percent) there’s a lower awareness of newer threats. Only (30 percent) were aware of pharming and vishing (28 percent) giving these activities the potential to do more harm.
RBC offers these tips to protect yourself against online cyberattacks and increase your cyber security:
- Keep your banking information secure: use a unique and strong password for each account. Consider using a strong password generator or create long passwords that use multiple phrases that you can remember.
- Steer clear of public Wi-Fi: avoid shopping online over a public network even if it is reputable and password protected. Consider using a VPN if you plan to use private credentials to access a website or app while on a public network. Be aware of people looking over your shoulder or surveillance cameras when entering login or banking information in a public setting.
- Be wary of phone, SMS and email messages: there are many different types of scams that target people using social media, dating sites, email or by phone. Generally, these attacks attempt to acquire banking info for immediate or urgent payment. Other types ask for an individual to confirm and/or reset their login ID and password in order to steal account credentials.
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