New study shows why the places you feel safest online might actually be the most dangerous
F-Secure has released new research that suggests a troubling divide between how safe people believe they are online and the dangers they actually face.
The Digital Perception-Reality Gap Report, based on a survey of 9,000 consumers worldwide, suggests that misplaced confidence is leaving large numbers of internet users exposed to cyber crime.
The study suggests that many people feel more secure in online spaces where the risks are actually high, while underestimating the dangers hidden in routine digital habits.
Scammers usually target messaging, banking, and email, yet users are more worried about risks associated with activities like crypto trading or online dating. This, the report argues, shapes behaviour in ways that reduce protection when it is needed most.
Nearly seven in ten respondents said they believed they could identify scams, but 43 percent admitted they had been targeted successfully within the last year. Overconfidence, F-Secure notes, can become its own vulnerability.
The data also shows a strong generational divide. Young adults, who spend more time online and adopt new services quickly, reported cybercrime incidents at more than double the rate of the oldest age group.
Although 64 percent of digital natives said they had been affected, only 28 percent of the oldest surveyed group reported the same, suggesting that being familiar with today’s tech does not necessarily translate into effective self-protection.
Danger: Cybercrime ahead
Almost half of the study’s respondents experienced cybercrime last year, up from just over a third the year before, and the rising rates are leading to uncertainty, with seven in ten people saying they are no longer sure who to trust online.
Anxiety is compounded by confusion, as more than 70 percent of those surveyed described cyber security as too complex to manage confidently.
The research also shows that consumers want cyber security embedded into the services they already use. Banks were named by 80 percent of respondents as preferred providers, while 71 percent pointed to telecom companies.
Fredrik Torstensson, Chief Partner Business Officer at F-Secure, said the findings point to a wider shift in expectations. “Our research makes one thing clear: consumers expect protection where they already engage. Security and digital safety are no longer nice-to-haves -- they're part of consumers' daily lives. They're loyalty drivers and key points of differentiation for service providers, who have a unique opportunity to lead the next era of digital trust.”
What do you think about consumers trusting their instincts online more than the actual risks? Let us know in the comments.
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