Cybercrime hit 6.5m in Kingdom last year

The Symantec booth is seen during the 2016 Black Hat cyber-security conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, in this August 3, 2016. (REUTERS/David Becker)

RIYADH: Over 6.5 million people in the Kingdom were affected by cybercrime last year, according to American software security provider Symantec that conducted a survey in the Kingdom.
Norton, by Symantec, released its findings from the Norton Cyber Security Insights Report here on Wednesday, revealing that 6,538,262 people have been victims of cyber attacks and affected by online crime.
The report further reveals that close to half (46 percent) of the millennials have experienced cybercrime compared to only 37 percent of the younger generation. Surprisingly nearly two in every five millennials admitted to sharing passwords with another person despite understanding its associated risks.
Speaking on the occasion, Eyas Hawari, country manager for Symantec Saudi Arabia, said: “Unfortunately, online crime has become commonplace in Saudi Arabia with 58 percent of the population having experienced it in the past year.”
He added: “This is 10 percent higher than the global average of 48 percent and strongly reinforces the need for a shift in the mindset of consumers in the country.”
He said consumers need to be more proactive in protecting their precious personal data and be aware that taking simple precautionary steps can easily help thwart potential attacks.
With an increasing number of individuals connected and using mobile devices, cyber threats are becoming ever present among all age groups as one in four consumers have had their mobile device stolen, potentially exposing sensitive information in their e-mail, social media and banking apps to cyber thieves, he said.
According to the report one in seven users has had the identity stolen, one in six has had someone breach their social media account, one in every four respondents indicate their e-mail account was breached by a hacker.
Surveying 1,000 individuals in the Kingdom, the research by the software security provider also discusses the consequences of consumer cybercrime in its report.
The consumers lost close to a day dealing with the repercussions of online crime, revealed the report, adding it also cost an average of SR3,230 per person with consumers losing over SR21 billion in total.