Study by BSI and police shows: Knowledge about protecting against cyber attacks exists, but is still inadequately implemented.

An up-to-date virus protection program, secure passwords and an up-to-date firewall are the measures that citizens most often use to protect themselves from attacks on the Internet. Basic basic protection also includes closing security gaps with regular updates and using a separate password for each account.

However, many people neglect these basic measures.

This was the result of the fourth joint citizen survey conducted by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and the State and Federal Police Crime Prevention Unit (ProPK). The results of the study are summarized in the “Digital Barometer 2022”, which is being presented to the public today.

Dr. Stefanie Hinz, Chairwoman of the State and Federal Police Crime Prevention Unit, and BSI Vice President Dr. Gerhard Schabhüser present the digital barometer at the LKA Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart. Source BSI
Dr. Stefanie Hinz, Chairwoman of the State and Federal Police Crime Prevention Unit, and BSI Vice President Dr. Gerhard Schabhüser present the digital barometer at the LKA Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart. Source BSI

The importance of important protective measures does not always seem to be clear to those surveyed.

For example, only just under a third (34%) use the option to install updates automatically. Installing updates is an important measure because they usually close known security holes that cyber criminals can exploit. More than one in four people have fallen victim to cybercrime (29%). Four out of ten people affected (39%) experienced such a crime at least once in the past twelve months. Overall, eight out of ten affected people (79%) suffered damage from cyber attacks last year. According to the study, fraud scams caused the greatest financial damage; those affected lost an average of 674 euros.

“Many citizens have already invested time and money in protecting themselves from cybercrime. “It is all the more important that they regularly ensure software updates, because this is the only way dangerous security gaps can be closed,” says Dr. Stefanie Hinz, Chairwoman of the State and Federal Police Crime Prevention Unit.

“The digital barometer shows us very precisely where the digital problem is affecting citizens. This allows us to provide targeted information about cybercrime and provide information about appropriate protection options. For example, for the current fraud scam via messenger services, we have developed easy-to-understand step-by-step instructions for optimal protection through settings in the respective applications,” continued Hinz.

“With the digital barometer, we have laid important knowledge bases in five years of collaboration between BSI and ProPK. We find out how citizens protect themselves online or what experiences they have with cyber crime. We see that we need to motivate and guide users more to put their knowledge of IT security into practice. We do this, among other things, with our #einfachaBSIchern campaign,” emphasizes Dr. Gerhard Schabhüser, Vice President of the BSI. “For example, to protect user accounts: Use a separate, secure password for each online account.”

Background to the Digital Barometer 2022
The BSI and police crime prevention are working together to provide citizens with comprehensive information about protection options and risks on the Internet. The joint, representative online survey regularly surveys the population's current level of knowledge on the subject of IT security and cyber crime and identifies trends and needs. The 2022 digital barometer was carried out this year from April 20th to May 10th and surveyed a total of 2,000 people between the ages of 16 and 69 nationwide.

Short report and graphics on the digital barometer 2022

The short report and graphics for the Digital Barometer 2022 are available at https://www.polizei-beratung.de/themen-und-tipps/treiben-im-internet/digitalbarometer/ or https://www.bsi.bund.de/SharedDocs/ Downloads/DE/BSI/Digitalbarometer/Digitalbarometer-ProPK-BSI_2022.html available for download.

Related to the topic:
Cybersecurity: Only every second employee knows the IT emergency plan


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