The incredible number of South Africans affected by Cybercrime

A new Cybersecurity report published by Norton found that over 8.8 million South Africans fell victim to some form of Cybercrime in the last year.

The report which surveyed 1,000 South Africans across the country also revealed the following:

76% of South Africans believe that identity theft is more likely than ever before.
67% feel it is more difficult to control their personal information as a result of smartphones and the Internet.
58% would rather cancel dinner plans with their best friend than have to cancel their credit/debit cards after their account has been compromised.
The same percentage would rather endure a terrible date than deal with credit/debit card customer service after a breach or hack.

In order to understand why the above statistics seem so high, it’s also important to understand what everyday South Africans think about online safety:

6 in 10 consumers say it is riskier to share their email passwords with a friend than lend him/her their car for a day.
Storing credit/banking information in the cloud is viewed as riskier than not wearing a seatbelt.
South Africans are more likely to own internet-enabled devices than their global counterparts; smartphones and laptops being most common.
Though most devices are protected, South Africans falter when it comes to protecting home theatre devices, wearables, and Internet-connected video game systems.
Devices considered easiest to hack are among the most frequently used, such as a smartphones and laptops.

Do you think South African’s are doing enough to keep themselves safe from Cybercrime? Let us know in the comments below and in our forums.