Those over 55 aren't adequately protecting themselves online, survey finds

By Shawn Knight on October 5, 2016, 4:45 PM



While it’s generally accepted that wisdom comes with age, that’s certainly not always the case. Research from Kaspersky Lab and market researcher B2B International has shown that those of the older generation are increasingly finding their way to the Internet albeit with a general lack of awareness that could put them at risk.

In a survey of more than 12,500 Internet users as part of a report entitled: “Older and Wiser? A look at the Threats Faced by Over-55s Online,” the firms found that despite the fact that those 55 and older are more likely to install security software on their computers, they are less likely to protect their mobile devices or modify online behavior in the name of safety.

For example, the older generation uses high privacy settings on social media and in their web browsers less than other age groups. Furthermore, they’re unlikely to use security-minded functions of mobile devices like “find my phone” or VPNs.

Data from the survey shows that a whopping 86 percent of those 55 and older do not believe they are a target for cyber criminals. Perhaps even more concerning is the fact that four in 10 have put themselves at risk by sharing financial details in the public domain.

Andrei Mochola, head of consumer business at Kaspersky Lab, said that on the one hand, it’s great to see that so many over-55s are using the Internet to shop, bank and stay connected with loved ones. On the other hand, however, it’s clear that this age group is not doing enough to protect themselves properly.

As such, Mochola encourages younger Internet users to help their older relatives and friends better protect themselves from the very real threats posed by cyber criminals. Suggestions for the older generation include being more vigilant online, installing reliable security solutions and using high privacy settings on all devices used to access the net.

Open Forum: What online security measures do you use?

By Rob Thubron on September 30, 2016, 6:00 PM


Yahoo’s admission this week that a 2014 hack led to over 500 million accounts being compromised was just the latest in a long line of hacks perpetrated against companies.

LinkedIn, Dropbox, MySpace, Tumblr, VK.com, are just some of the firms that have had user data leaked online at some point. And it’s not just the number of sites being breached that is increasing, other online risks such as phishing emails, malware, ransomware, fraud, tracking, and id theft are on the rise.

Today, more people than ever before use the internet, and many aren’t tech-savvy enough to follow reasonable security practices. But even the most advanced users can slip up; Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had his Twitter and Pinterest accounts compromised after hackers reportedly re-used his leaked LinkedIn credentials (password: dadada).

For this Weekend Open Forum we want to know what online security measures do you take? Do you pay for an antivirus program such as Norton or do you go with a free option? Do you always use virtual private networks to protect yourself? Are password managers the best way to avoid using the same login credentials on multiple sites? And, like Zuckerberg, would you go as far as sticking some tape over your webcam? Whatever methods you use, do let us know.

Google unveils new YouTube Go app for users with limited connectivity

By Jose Vilches on September 28, 2016, 4:00 PM
Google has announced a version of its YouTube app for Android tailored specifically for people in areas where connectivity is limited. Dubbed YouTube Go, the new app has been designed from the ground up to give users more options over quality and file size, offline viewing and local sharing with nearby users without using any data thanks to Wi-Fi Direct.

The app was field tested with hundreds of users in 15 cities across India and will be launched there first, with plans to make it more widely available early next year.



"YouTube Go is a brand new app to help the next generation of users share and enjoy videos," YouTube Vice President of Product Management Johanna Wright said in a statement. "YouTube Go was designed and built from the ground up with insights from India, in order to bring the power of video to mobile users in a way that is more conscious of their data and connectivity, while still being locally relevant and social."

The app is a natural extension of YouTube’s previous offline modes. The home screen will feature the typical popular and trending videos from nearby, but with a new preview function where users will able to peek at a few frames before deciding to watch it or save it on the app.



Google is targeting the so-called “next billion” Internet users that are coming online, many of them in India, Indonesia, Brazil, and China. And of course it’ll want to monetize views as well. Keeping with the low bandwidth approach, YouTube Go will only use six-second ads, which don’t cost much data, and will be compressed to make downloads as small as possible.