Singaporeans urged to protect themselves from online threats
According to data from Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency, eight in 10 Singaporeans have common utility apps installed on their phones such as commerce, banking, and transport. However, only five in 10 have cybersecurity apps.
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This is a surprise considering 43% of Singaporeans believe they will fall victim to online scams, compared to 32% in 2020.
Moreover, only 35% of Singaporeans enabled two-factor authentication in messaging accounts, social media, and personal emails.
The majority of users and owners of IoT devices also don’t know how to secure their devices.
Data from CSA also showed that less than one in five individuals knew the steps to secure their IoT devices, and of the 84% who owned or used one or more IoT devices, half said they used an alphanumeric password with at least 12 characters. Meanwhile, four in 10 said they changed the default password.
Compared to 2020 data, CSA said that there have been improvements in the way Singaporeans adopted cybersecurity practices. However, adoption has yet to meet people’s “higher perceived likelihood about falling victim to cyber incidents and online scams.”
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