Three out of four Norwegians believe that they are at risk when they are online and this fear is increasing. Among other things, the fear of using online banking has increased sharply.
It appears in “Norwegians and Digital Security Culture” from the Norwegian Information Security Center (NorSIS). The report will be published on 5 November.
Fears have increased by 15 percent only in the past three years.
“It’s a dramatic increase. Increased fear may in the worst case cause the digitization of society to slow down. It can cost Norway billions of dollars, says Bjarte Malmedal, senior advisor to NorSIS and responsible for the report.
Among other things, it is perceived as risky to use public services – the proportion has increased from 13 percent in 2015 to 21 percent this year. 30 percent of respondents do not trust the authorities to secure information they have registered about them.
Several also perceive it as risky to use online banking. Here the proportion has almost doubled, from 10 percent in 2015 to 19 percent this year.
Attitudes are unchanged
NorSIS believes the most serious in this year’s report is that Norwegians have not changed their digital attitudes and behaviors, despite the fact that there has been increased awareness of cybercrime and the serious consequences this causes.
– “The use of two-step logon features for social media, email and so on is one of the most important security steps people can do to protect themselves online. Only one in three makes use of this wherever possible,” says Senior Advisor Bjarte Malmedal.
In the survey, 61 percent say that they get sufficient information about digital threats. This figure has fallen from 68 percent in 2015. This year’s surveys correspond to one in three that they have been using a network service because of fear of hacking or threats.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
