Research Reveals: Impact of Stress on the Human Body and Mind - People show reduced vigilance against online fraud.
Every fourth person in Germany has been a target of cybercrime at some point. Last year, ten percent of individuals experienced a crime on the internet. These findings come from the Cybersecurity Monitor 2024, a survey conducted by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and the police, released on Tuesday.
The victims' crimes mainly consisted of fraud in online shopping, misuse of account data, identity theft, and fraud in online banking. The number of internet crime victims increased by two percentage points from the previous year (12%). Conversely, the usage of protective measures is decreasing. On average, only four out of the 19 security measures were utilized in 2024 - such as antivirus programs, secure passwords, two-factor authentication, or password managers. In contrast, 16 measures were assessed in the previous year.
Many persons have an inflated sense of security and seem to be uninformed about the need for these measures. Approximately 29% of the survey participants gave their high sense of security as the reason for not using them. A quarter of the respondents mentioned that the measures are too complex (26%). Over one-fifth (22%) feel overwhelmed. Almost as many (21%) agreed with the statement, "I don't know what to do because there's something different recommended everywhere."
There was an increase in the number of people who feel minimally vulnerable to cybercrime on the internet. More than half of the respondents (56%) believed the risk of being affected in the future to be rather low or nonexistent. This is a six-percentage-point increase from the previous year.
The lack of concern is most pronounced among the youngest age group of 16 to 22 years. Their proportion of unconcerned individuals increased by 16 percentage points to 68% in 2024. This age group tends to justify the lack of protective measures by claiming they require too much effort (34%).
"The research findings make it extremely clear that we need to raise cybersecurity awareness among citizens to a greater extent than ever before," said BSI President Claudia Plattner in her statement. Additionally, she emphasized the necessity of implementing technical solutions to protect individuals from potential risks in the future.
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- Despite the increasing prevalence of cybercrimes in Bonn and Stuttgart, only four out of 19 security measures were utilized by individuals according to the Cybersecurity Monitor 2024.
- The decrease in the use of protective measures was observed in both Bonn and Stuttgart, with an average of four measures utilized in 2024 compared to 16 in the previous year.
- The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) in Bonn and the police conducted a study on cybercrime and found that many individuals are not implementing protective measures due to their perceived complexity or feeling overwhelmed.
- The study revealed that a significant percentage of individuals in Bonn and Stuttgart are underestimating the risk of cybercrime, with over half believing the risk is low or nonexistent.
- Cybercrime in Germany, such as fraud in online shopping and misuse of account data, has increased, with ten percent of individuals experiencing a crime on the internet last year, as reported by the Cybersecurity Monitor 2024.
- To combat cybercrime, BSI President Claudia Plattner suggested the need for raising cybersecurity awareness among citizens and implementing technical solutions to protect individuals from potential risks in the future.
- Online shopping in Bonn, Stuttgart, and other parts of Germany is a common target for cybercrime, with fraud being a major issue, as outlined in the Cybersecurity Monitor 2024.
