Education and Social Media Use Affect Risk of Hacking

According to a recent Gallup Poll, Americans are more afraid of being hacked than of being murdered – and for a good reason.

More people than ever are having their identity stolen online, and the list of companies disclosing personal data breaches recently has included internet giants LinkedIn, Yahoo, and Tumblr. What’s more, the hacks are poised to keep on coming, and when all that personal information falls into the wrong hands, fraud isn’t far behind.

So who’s falling victim to online identity theft, why is this still happening, and how can you protect yourself? We did a little research, and here’s what we know.

Who’s in Danger?

It turns out, people who self-identified as “tech savvy” were 18 percent more likely to be victims of online identity theft than those who weren’t. Additionally, respondents with Ph.D’s were more frequently victims than high school graduates. And, despite lingering rumors that Macs are safer than PCs, Apple users were 22 percent more likely than Windows users to be victims of this breach.

Still, millennials were less likely than their older counterparts to have secure information stolen online, although this may be because they haven’t risked having their personal information compromised for as long as the other age groups.

Are Your Passwords Secure?

Risky Internet Decisions

Continue reading: How Do Your Online Security Habits Stack Up?

Firm Management