Social networks, mobile devices now platforms for cybercrime

SINGAPORE, Sept 7 — Close to one in two adults surveyed here has experienced cybercrime in the last 12 months, and the average direct financial cost per victim is US$657 (RM2,040), according to this year’s Norton Cybercrime Report.

It conducted online interviews with 500 people in Singapore, which showed that cybercriminals are starting to focus their efforts on platforms, such as social networks or mobile devices.

One in five adults in Singapore who responded to the survey has been a victim of either social or mobile cybercrime, according to the report, and 36 per cent of social network users interviewed said they have been victims of social cybercrime specifically.

Some 12 per cent of social network users interviewed reported having someone hack into their profile and pretending to be them, while 12 per cent of users surveyed said they fell for a scam or a fake link on social network platforms. Only 46 per cent of those interviewed used a security solution against social network threats, while 55 per cent surveyed used privacy settings to control information shared.

Other precautions that users appeared to be ignoring include using a complex password and checking for the padlock symbol in the browser before entering personal information.

More than three in 10 adults interviewed were also unaware that malware could operate in a discreet fashion, making it hard to know if a computer has been compromised, and more than half are uncertain if their computer is virus free.

“Personal email accounts often contain the keys to your online kingdom,” said Effendy Ibrahim, Internet safety advocate and director, Asia, Norton by Symantec. “Protect your email by using complex passwords and changing them regularly.” — Today