New research from Avast has revealed that older and younger generations are being targeted by different online threats based on the primary device that they use to go online.
The research, which forms part of a comprehensive global study with YouGov into digital citizenship trends, found that a majority of New Zealanders aged 55-64 (61%) and over 65 (73%) primarily use their desktop computer or laptop to go online. This makes them more susceptible to ransomware, tech support scams, spyware/Trojans, and Botnets, which can be accidentally or unknowingly downloaded or accessed via links in emails or through malicious websites.
In contrast, younger New Zealanders mainly use their smartphone to go online (18-24 – 67%; 25-34 – 80%; 35-44 – 65%) making them targets for Adware, mobile banking Trojans, downloader and FluBot SMS scams spreading malware, and Instagram and TikTok scams promoting adware apps or Fleeceware. Across all devices, younger and older generations are also targets for phishing attacks and romance scams.
According to Avast Threat Labs data, on desktops Avast blocked on average over 1.46 million ransomware attacks each month in 2021, and between January and April this year, there were 5.9 million tech support scam attack attempts worldwide each month.
On mobile devices, the top threats last quarter were: adware (59%), mobile banking Trojans (9.7%), and downloaders (7.9%), which are harmful apps that use social engineering tactics to trick victims into…
