Case Studies

Digital home study

by Mark Rowe

As for digital security, protecting your accounts by changing and/or using strong passwords is good practice, but what happens if you share these accounts with others? How digitally safe and secure is the home really, and how we might improve on this? These were among questions posed by a cyber firm in a survey of the ‘digital home’.

Almost every second surveyed (46pc) housemate is sharing streaming services like Netflix and Hulu with flatmates. Out of all of the options we gave respondents when asking what they’d likely share with flat mates, their Netflix login details came out as one of the most popular with 38pc of respondents choosing that option. Other experience or material based options such as a night out (34pc) and clothing (22pc) did not beat the all-important Netflix login. On top of this, 33pc of millennials share their Wi-Fi, and 42pc use security software in the household. Although having a strong security system in place that is shared can be beneficial, this type of behaviour suggests the need for some sort of extraction plan if a flat mate ever moves out, or if the group ever falls out.

Some 37pc of millennials say they think they’re too boring for cybercriminals, and 36pc say that they nevertheless should be doing more to strengthen their digital security, but it drops to the bottom of their to-do list. As the ‘new normal’ has forced many to work from home, the home is becoming a technological hub for millennials. They are now spending nearly two (1.8) extra hours online everyday compared to the start of the year – bringing their daily average up to 7.1 hours a day. About half (49pc) say this increased time online has made them more aware of their digital security. Millennials are spending most of their time on social media, but six in ten (61pc) say that the rise of online dating from home is a particular concern for their digital security.

To address these concerns, about half (52pc) of millennials now say that they only run trustworthy apps on their devices from official stores such as Apple Store and Google Play, and 49pc run regular anti-virus scans on each of their devices to protect themselves. However, a mischievous streak also appears in 13pc of millennials, who admitted to having used their neighbours’ Wi-Fi, without them knowing.

Comment

Twenty-twenty has been a defining year for the digital home, said Andrew Winton, Vice President, Marketing at Kaspersky. “With many of us all over the world in lockdown, the amount we interact with, and rely on, technology has increased dramatically. Because of this, we wanted to conduct a study that would unveil just how much this year has impacted our actions and our feelings when it comes to our digital life; what are our ‘digital comfort zones’, and what they mean to us now? It’s not a surprise that millennials, who will shape how society uses technology for years to come, are placing more emphasis on digital security – particularly as the line between work and home becomes increasingly blurred. Protecting ourselves from digital threats can be simple, and this helps us better understand how we can help optimise safety within individual ‘digital comfort zones”.”

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