Nearly 50 percent of tablet and smartphone users “don’t take...
Nearly 50 percent of tablet and smartphone users “don’t take basic precautions such as using passwords, having security software or backing up files on their mobile devices,” said a summary (http://bit.ly/1k035dO) of the Symantec-commissioned Norton Report on cybersecurity released Tuesday.…
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The report surveyed 13,022 adult Internet users in 24 countries in 2013, said the summary. The “total global direct cost of cybercrime” was $113 billion, up from $110 billion in 2012, it said. Victims of cybercrime suffered an average loss of $298 per crime, compared with $197 per crime in 2012, it said. “We're living in the era of the ‘Mega Breach’ -- with a 62 percent increase in breaches in 2013 -- and attacks are getting bigger and more vicious,” said Kevin Haley, Symantec security response director, by email. “Mega Data Breaches went from 1 in 2012 to 8 in 2013 -- this marks a shift in cybercrimincal behavior from years past,” he said. “Today’s cybercriminals are using more sophisticated attacks, such as ransomware and spear-phishing, which yield them more money per attack than ever before,” said Symantec Chief Technology Officer Stephen Trilling in a news release (http://bit.ly/1hYkfI0). “If this was a test, mobile consumers would be failing,” said Marian Merritt, Symantec Internet safety advocate, in the release. “While consumers are protecting their computers, there is a general lack of awareness to safeguard their smartphones and tablets,” she said.