80% of Americans Admit to Risky Cybersecurity Behaviors80% of Americans Admit to Risky Cybersecurity Behaviors

Nearly half of survey respondents use unsecured WiFi networks and a third open unsolicited email attachment, a report finds.

Dark Reading Staff

December 14, 2017

1 Min Read

A majority of Americans acknowledge they engage in behavior that puts their cybersecurity at risk, a new report from Netsparker reveals.

Based on an online survey of 2,006 US adults, the 2017 Cybersecurity Survey finds 80% admit to risky cybersecurity practices that touch on a number of areas:

40% use open, unsecured networks
35% click on unfamiliar links on social media
31% download third-party sourced files
31% open unsolicited email attachments
28% fail to install Web-based security software

Survey respondents' password protection practices are also lacking, the report finds. Thirty-four percent of respondents use the same password for all logins, while 58% admit to using fewer than four passwords for all of their online accounts.

Read more about the survey results here.