Tag Archive for: Consumers

Consumers neglecting mobile security despite growing number of threats

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Over the past year, consumers have adapted to many changes, including the rapid shift towards a digital-first lifestyle. This has led to an emphasis on consumers dependence on mobile devices, as they look to execute nearly all daily activities via devices while on-the-go, exposing them to most digital risks.

consumers mobile security

A new McAfee report reveals that 49% of U.S. consumers do not use mobile security software to protect their sensitive data, thus leaving them vulnerable to these increasingly advanced cyberattacks.

Mobile malware skyrocketing

Attackers know that consumers are using their mobile devices for working, banking, shopping and social media activity, often storing and sharing sensitive information through various apps and digital channels.

58% of U.S. consumers said they either do not know or do not feel secure when it comes to their mobile security – and only 36% have a clear understanding of the information stored in their mobile devices. As a result of the pandemic-induced mobile activity, cybercriminals are launching sophisticated scams, targeted specifically at mobile devices and software.

The McAfee report found that mobile malware grew 118% from Q3 to Q4 2020, with common attacks including malicious apps, email / text phishing, spoofed networks.

As consumers became more and more digitally connected, it is critical that they stay educated and proactive about protecting all of their sensitive data.

Consumers mobile security best practices

  • Do not reuse passwords, so that if one account is compromised, the others are still protected. To remember unique passwords, consider leveraging the power of a password manager to store this data.
  • Use a mobile security solution to protect your mobile devices and personal data from cyberthreats, unsecured networks and malicious apps.
  • Use multi-factor authentication to double check the authenticity of digital users and add an additional layer of security to protect personal data and information.

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Hackers Targeting Digitally Connected Consumers This Tax Season

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Consumers’ Digital-First Lifestyle Opens Them to Potential Risks

Consumers have faced a lot of change over the past year with the shift to a digital-first lifestyle, and tax season is no exception. McAfee’s 2021 Consumer Security Mindset study revealed that while roughly 2 out of 3 Americans (63%) plan to do their taxes online in 2021, 12% of Americans will be doing them online for the first time. With the increase in activities online, consumers are potentially exposed to more digital risks and threats, and it is crucial that they understand how to stay safe online.

According to the IRS, Criminal Investigation identified $2.3 billion in tax fraud schemes during FY2020. Hackers target tax payers every year, but the increase in online filings due to COVID-19 in 2020 presented an even greater opportunity, as scams related to coronavirus tax relief such as Economic Impact Payments, have now earned a spot on the IRS “Dirty Dozen” tax scam list. Also relatively new to the list are social media attacks – thanks to the rapid development and adoption of social media platforms in recent years. Social media attacks involve scammers harvesting information from social media profiles, then using that data to impersonate someone you know to gain access to accounts, funds and more.

Other common attacks include email phishing attacks, phone calls posing as IRS agents, and robocalls that threaten jail time. Taking advantage of the current environment, many phishing attacks are now leveraging keywords such as “coronavirus,” “COVID-19” and “stimulus.” Additional tax scams can be harder to spot, such as when a hacker secures someone else’s Social Security number (SSN) and begins exploiting this sensitive information on the dark web and facilitating fraudulent tax returns. The IRS has warned about scams related to SSN, where scammers claim to be able to suspend or cancel the victim’s SSN, hoping that fear will get consumers to return robocall voicemails.

Consumers can do their part this tax season to protect their personal information and keep their finances secure:

  • Beware of phishing attempts. Phishing is a common tactic hackers leverage during tax season, so double-check…

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Privacy survey: Consumers have poor understanding of data privacy yet think they are taking proactive steps

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The vast majority of consumers have a poor understanding of data privacy issues yet think they are proactive in protecting themselves, according to a survey of US and UK residents.

More than 83% of 1,000 people surveyed said they were proactive in maintaining their data privacy however, they did not take basic precautions to protect their data — showing a lack of education without a corresponding drop in confidence. 

The survey from Entrust, a US Identity management and data privacy company, also found that 64% are willing to share personal data if it makes it easier to access key services. 

And a whopping 83% say they are comfortable storing their biometric data with apps or third-party identity verification systems such as those at airports.

Consumers exhibited a split personality in that they had high confidence in their abilities to protect their personal data but 79% also said they were somewhat or highly concerned about their data. 

About one third (34%) of consumers were very pessimistic saying that they believed they had little control over their data and nearly one-quarter said the issues were too complex to understand and 30% did not know where to begin.

A key difference between countries: UK consumers had a significantly higher trust in their employers, banks and government agencies to hold their personal data secure. 

Major Internet platforms have come under fire for their use and misuse of consumer personal data. In 2021 US and UK lawmakers are looking at potential regulations to control the use of personal data. This will have huge consequences on multi-billion dollar online advertising markets and data sellers. 

The Entrust survey shows that voters will need to become better educated to be able to understand and support upcoming data privacy regulations. 

More survey findings are here.

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EU Considering Enacting Right-To-Repair To Return Power To Consumers, Protect The Environment

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Right-to-repair laws are still a work in progress, mainly due to industry opposition. The wants and needs of millions of device/vehicle owners don’t amount to a hill of beans in this world full of interloping industry leaders, as noted DIY repairman/nightclub owner Rick Blaine once sourly noted.

Allowing people to actually own the things they’ve purchased seems like a foreign concept to US tech leaders, even though that was the status quo long before goods went digital and the DMCA was enacted. Why should people be at the mercy of those whose profits depend on walled gardens, closed loops, and well-funded lawyers issuing cease-and-desist orders at the drop of a proprietary screwdriver? Well, as someone else sourly noted, those with the gold make the rules.

While we struggle through with some piecemeal replacements for our assumed rights of ownership here in the US, it appears the European Union is going to get serious about handing customers back their purloined rights. As the New York Times reports, a right-to-repair is up for discussion — not so much because of the impact on customers, but because of the impact on the environment.

The “right to repair,” part of a wide-ranging policy package known as the Green Deal that was introduced this month, is the latest example of the European Union’s ambitions to promote more sustainable economic growth and to prevent waste. It extends standards brought in last year that put “right to repair” obligations on the manufacturers of some large appliances.

“The linear growth model of ‘take-make-use-discard’ has reached its limits,” Virginijus Sinkevicius, the union’s environment commissioner, told reporters in Brussels as he presented the “Circular Economy Action Plan,” which includes the “right to repair” initiative.

“We want to make sure that products placed on E.U. market are designed to last longer, to be easier to repair and upgrade, easier to recycle and easier to reuse,” he added.

Obviously, providing people with a right-to-repair (and the information to make those repairs) will help curb the amount of dangerous chemicals and minerals being dumped into the ecosystem. Planned obsolescence has been the status quo for years, with repair prices and restrictions making it far easier to replace items than repair them. This has added up to serious environmental damage. It has also added to problems around the world where rare minerals are mined under the direction of governments who use their profits to finance war, rape, and numerous other atrocities.

But it will also give people back something they’ve historically enjoyed: the ability to tinker with and repair their purchased products without being locked out by proprietary tools and methods that are shared with only certain gatekeepers to ensure steady purchases of new products and the speedy destruction of anything slightly out-of-date.

Here’s how the EU’s proposal [PDF] puts it [all emphasis in the original]:

Empowering consumers and providing them with cost-saving opportunities is a key building block of the sustainable product policy framework. To enhance the participation of consumers in the circular economy, the Commission will propose a revision of EU consumer law to ensure that consumers receive trustworthy and relevant information on products at the point of sale, including on their lifespan and on the availability of repair services, spare parts and repair manuals. The Commission will also consider further strengthening consumer protection against green washing and premature obsolescence, setting minimum requirements for sustainability labels/logos and for information tools.

In addition, the Commission will work towards establishing a new ‘right to repair’ and consider new horizontal material rights for consumers for instance as regards availability of spare parts or access to repair and, in the case of ICT and electronics, to upgrading services. Regarding the role that guarantees can play in providing more circular products, the Commission will explore possible changes also in the context of the review of Directive 2019/771.

This would be a step up from the EU’s aggressive recycling requirements, which demands companies selling electronics recycle at least 65% of the total weight of goods sold (i.e., recycling 65 tons for every 100 tons of goods put on sale). As it stands now, zero companies have met that requirement, which has been in place since 2012.

This would hand power back to consumers. It won’t make it easier for companies to hit recycling targets, but it may alter the market for new goods, making it more financially feasible for device makers to slow the rollout of new products and extend the life of those already on the market.

If enacted, it will drastically change the way electronics manufacturers do business in Europe. It may see some drop out of the market completely. But expect a lot of opposition from the companies affected as this legislative proposal moves forward. If there’s one thing companies like Apple and Microsoft can agree on, it’s that customers shouldn’t be allowed to cut them out of the repair/modification/replacement chain.

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