Kaspersky Lab reveals 25% of internet users had an account hacked in 2015

A research by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International in October this year showed that in the last 12 months, one in four internet users had at least one of their online accounts hacked, leading to unauthorized messages being sent out in the user’s name, sometimes with a malicious link included, and the loss or theft of personal data. However, another study shows that, despite this, just 38% of consumers create strong passwords for every account and over half (57%) store passwords insecurely.

In addition to the number whose own accounts had been hacked, a third (32%) of respondents know of someone whose account has been hacked. The kind of accounts targeted by hackers include email (11%), social media networks (11%), and online banking or shopping accounts (7%), sites that many consumers use on a daily basis and that keep them in touch with work and their closest friends and family.

The survey found that it’s not just bank balances but relationships that can be damaged by hackers. The study showed that 35% of those affected by hacking discovered that messages or updates had been sent from or posted on their accounts without their permission; and 29% learned that friends had clicked on a malicious link in a message that apparently came from them.

Personal data and identities are a top target for hackers. Twenty six percent of those affected lost personal details and data following a successful hit; and in 26% of cases data was stolen and later used in criminal activity such as unauthorized transactions. In fact, 36% of all respondents had encountered some kind of identity threat over the previous 12 months, most involving an unsolicited message and a request for personal information, passwords and other credentials.