A new study by Kaspersky ‘Excitement, Superstition and great Insecurity – How global Consumers engage with the Digital World’ discloses controversial views among users regarding the protection of their personal information. For instance, 44% of respondents in South Africa consider covering the webcam of their digital devices maintains privacy. At the same time, 42% trust Internet Incognito modes to safeguard their online activities. These numbers reflect that it still can be a challenge to distinguish what is secure and private and what’s not.

Despite decades of using digital devices and acknowledging cybersecurity as a real and critical concern, distinguishing between what is secure and what is not can be still difficult. Kaspersky’s latest survey shows users can be contradictory in their digital habits and attitudes towards digital privacy.

On the one hand, 44% of respondents in South Africa believe that covering the webcam on their devices is an enough of an effective measure to protect their privacy – which it is not, as it only temporarily prevents visual surveillance but does nothing to neutralise the built-in webcam microphone, nor can it prevent images being intercepted when users switch on their cameras themselves. On the other hand, more than half of the respondents in South Africa (55%) play online mini-games and take tests for fun, sending their personal details to unreliable sources to access those games, and posting their results in social media, involving their friends in this careless data-sharing pyramid.

39% of all users in South Africa are worried that voice assistants might be constantly listening and gathering personal information. In response, over a third of respondents (40%) resort to switching their devices to airplane mode during important private conversations.

At the same time, 42% of users in South Africa mistakenly believe activating Incognito mode makes them entirely invisible online, yet it doesn’t guarantee absolute privacy. In this mode, the browser is not saving the history of visiting websites, cookies, download history and authorisation data, which is not equal to complete anonymity. Additionally, a surprising 30% are willing to click on unfamiliar links in messengers, potentially compromising their security.

Kaspersky’s Web-Content Analyst, Anna Larkina, explains: “Our research underscores the significance of a well-informed approach to cybersecurity and digital privacy. To ensure safety and protection, it’s essential to maintain a critical mindset, relying solely on verified sources and facts. This entails disregarding unproven techniques and myths. Furthermore, implementing a comprehensive security solution that offers robust protection against a diverse range of threats and risks can prove invaluable.”

To protect against various cyberthreats, Kaspersky experts recommend following the below tips:

·         Pay attention to privacy settings in social networks and on popular platforms.

·         Use strong and unique passwords for all your accounts (at least 12 characters with letters in different case, numbers and special characters), store them in password managers.

·         In those services that allow it, set up two-factor authorisation.

·         Download applications only from official stores and periodically check which programs are installed on the device.

·         Do not follow suspicious links in mail, instant messengers or social networks (even if they were sent by friends).

·         Carefully check the name of the site in the address bar before entering your personal or payment data on it.

·         Do not believe the myths and constantly improve your digital literacy, and in order not to worry about the safety of your data, install a reliable security solution on all your gadgets, including mobile devices.

The full Kaspersky report ‘Excitement, Superstition and great Insecurity – How global Consumers engage with the Digital World’ can be viewed at this link.