India Ranks First Among Asian Nations In​ ​Taking Proactive Steps To Secure Devices, ESET Study Reveals

• Over 38 percent of users across Asia engage in risky behavior online, despite knowing the danger

• India ranked most proactive nation in Asia in terms of taking steps to secure devices from cyber attacks

• ​​Malaysia takes the lead as the most cyber-savvy nation in the region, Indonesia ranked last

ESET, a global pioneer in proactive protection for more than two decades, names India the most proactive nation in terms of securing personal devices such as PCs, smartphones and tablets from cyber threats.

ESET Asia Cyber Savviness Report 2015 reveals users in India and Indonesia take the most proactive steps to secure their devices and online activities. ESET survey shows that out of 62.6% Indian users knowing about cyber attacks, 60.1% are taking actual steps to prevent it. Measures taken by users include changing their passwords regularly, backing up their data, and installing the latest versions of cyber security software.

India and Indonesia take the highest number of precautions despite having the lowest levels of overall cyber security awareness. At the same time, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, which ranked amongst the top in ESET’s awareness survey measuring knowledgeability about cyber security and overall cyber risk exposure showed the worst results when it came to protecting themselves.

ESET study conducted earlier this year polling 1,800 respondents from across Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, aimed to gain insights into the attitudes, knowledge and user behaviors across Asia when it comes to cyber security. The study underlines that 93 percent of online users in Asia worry about cyber security.

The results of the survey indicate a lack of basic cyber security knowledge and understanding across all six countries. Overall, the scores were very close, with Malaysia coming in at first place for overall cyber-savviness, with a 29.9 percent score, ahead of Singapore (27.2%), India (27.3%), Thailand (26.7%), Hong Kong (25.6%), and Indonesia (25.1%).

A closer look at the cyber security trends in Asia reveals the region still has a long way to go in understanding online security and protecting themselves. In fact, 3 out of 5 consumers are unable to answer basic cyber security questions correctly. Despite the fact that Asia-Pacific region has the highest number of internet users in the world, the results of the study show that users in this region don’t know how to stay safe online. Moreover, a large share of those polled commit basic mistakes like using passwords containing easy to access personal information, such as their date of birth or surname, storing passwords and credit card details online, and connecting to unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.

“In India, cyber security is a buzz word, but not a daily practice,” said Zakir Hussain, ESET India Country Head. “Despite India having more mobile and smartphone users than PC users while more and more malware being created for these devices particularly, the awareness about such cyber threats is hardly there. It is very unfortunate that cyber criminals not only target devices with malware, over time they have mastered social engineering tactics. India, where thousands of Bollywood videos, shopping and other applications are downloaded every minute on mobiles and tablets, becomes a desired destination for cyber criminals”.

“ESET survey shows that many users in India, as well as in other Asian counties, trade security for convenience. While knowing about cyber threats and their consequences, they continue following risky practices. For example, 88% of users agree that in case the device is breached it should be disconnected from the Internet. But only 57% of them actually do that! In the age of technology, when our lives and businesses depend on information.​