Two thirds of Czechs fear Russian cyber attacks. However, 7 out of 10 people have not changed the security of their facilities yet
According to 65% of people, Russian attempts at cyber attacks are a real threat to the citizens of the Czech Republic. Czechs most often worry about their money, the misuse of a bank card or electronic banking by a hacker is afraid of three quarters of respondents. Nevertheless, 71% of Czechs have not yet changed their approach to securing their computer, mobile phone or other devices. According to WIA experts, the most important thing is to review your passwords and not use the same password in multiple places.
Roughly one-sixth of people have become more wary of fraudulent e-mails due to the increased risk of cyber-attacks. Only 5% of respondents changed their account and e-mail passwords or started using a password manager. According to a survey by the telecommunications company WIA. Data collection was performed through the Ipsos Instant Research application.
Experts, companies and citizens have seen a significant increase in Russian cyber attacks, especially during the days immediately following the invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s mainly about sending fraudulent e-mails in order to lure people’s personal data. So-called malware originating in Russia has also become more widespread in recent weeks. These are programs that disrupt the functions of the device or secretly perform activities in which the user does not know at all,” explains Filip Malina, CEO of WIA, which provides cyber security for homes and businesses.
Russia’s attempts at cyber attacks are most often perceived by people in large cities. 79% of Praguers and 60% of the rest of the Czechs consider them a real risk, compared to 67% in Moravia.
People are most worried that they might lose money in a cyber attack. Over 75% of people would be afraid of misuse of their bank card or electronic banking if they were threatened by a hacker. 57% of Czechs consider the misuse of their personal data to be a risk. Nearly a third of people also fear an invasion of privacy, ie the leakage of photos, videos or private correspondence, or even watching the surroundings via a webcam.
“Bank card misuse can also occur when shopping online. Therefore, if you enter your credit card information, always make sure that you are on an encrypted connection page. You can tell by the lock icon to the left of the browser’s command line, or that the address starts with the abbreviation ‘https’ instead of the normal ‘http’,” said Malina.
Although Czechs are aware of the increased risk of cyber attacks, they usually do nothing to prevent them. One third of people are considering changing the security of their computers and other devices, but 38% of respondents do not intend to change their approach to protection against hacker attacks.
“If we want to avoid threats, we should first and foremost tidy up our passwords. We should never use the same password in multiple places to avoid multiple accounts if it is compromised. We should also change our passwords regularly. If you haven’t done so recently, you should update your passwords now and set up alerts again in a year. Alternatively, you can use the password manager. He will create complex random passwords for you, which you will not have to remember,“ advises Malina.
So far, however, only 5% of people have changed their passwords or started using the password manager. Similarly, only 5% of respondents started using two-step verification. Experts strongly recommend this because it prevents anyone from signing in to accounts from a new device without the owner’s approval on their mobile phone.
“Software companies are constantly developing new types of protection against the growing types of viruses and attacks. Therefore, users should update their operating system and antivirus as often as possible to protect them against the latest threats,” Malina recommends. According to the survey, less than 4% of people have updated their operating system. Less than 10% of respondents have installed an antivirus program on their devices or checked for updates.
Companies that may lose sensitive data in a cyber attack should be even more careful. Therefore, in addition to passwords and antivirus programs, they should use firewalls and VPNs, encrypt hard drives, and monitor the network on an ongoing basis.
WIA is a Czech technology company specializing in telecommunications services for households, companies and institutions. It provides, among other things, internet connections, cloud solutions, cyber security and innovative forms of teleconferencing and team collaboration.
Source: CTK
