Survey: Consumers see online communication tools as unsecure

A good number of consumers consider online communication channels to be unsecure, but still use them regularly, findings of the Kaspersky Lab 2015 Consumer Security Risks Survey has revealed.

According to the research, 70 percent of participants consider photo messengers to be an unsecure online communication tool. While 62 percent do not find mobile (including social) instant messengers secure and 61 percent do not trust online VoIP services.

However, respondents cited social media messengers (37%), mobile messengers (25%) and VoIP calls (15%) as some of the most frequently used tools for online communications.

[blockquote right=”pull-right”] “Naturally, we do not advocate that people should stop using online messengers. However, caution is needed when sending information via the Internet. For instance, you shouldn’t connect to communication channels that are known to be unsecure, such as a public Wi-Fi network, because information may be intercepted. It is also important that consumers are careful when choosing online tools for personal communication, and only use a device reliably protected by a password and an Internet security solution.”[/blockquote]

According to the respondents, these communication tools are not only used at home but also in public places, including in the office and while travelling.

Moreover, 17 percent of those surveyed said they had shared explicit content at least once despite the clear concerns about the security of such platforms. These results show a contradiction between what people claim they fear regarding security of online communications and what they do despite those fears.

Commenting on the findings, Elena Kharchenko, Head of Consumer Product Management, Kaspersky Lab, says “naturally, we do not advocate that people should stop using online messengers. However, caution is needed when sending information via the Internet. For instance, you shouldn’t connect to communication channels that are known to be unsecure, such as a public Wi-Fi network, because information may be intercepted. It is also important that consumers are careful when choosing online tools for personal communication, and only use a device reliably protected by a password and an Internet security solution.”