Nearly nine out of 10 individuals interviewed for the new 2018 Chubb Cyber Risk Survey know their personal information (and assets) are vulnerable to cyber threats. But only a fraction of those survey respondents have an inkling about how to better protect themselves from cyber predators or what to do once their personal accounts have been breached. "In this day and age, anyone is susceptible to falling victim of a cyber attack," Fran O'Brien, division president of Chubb North America Personal Risk Services, said in a press release about the new report. "While it is promising that so many people are generally aware of everyday cyber risks, our study shows that their concern isn't translating into action — just 40% of individuals use cybersecurity software and less than one in three regularly change online passwords. Given what's at stake, individuals should be taking every precaution they can to mitigate risk." Here are some other findings from the 2018 Chubb Cyber Risk Survey: |

  • Only 12% of survey respondents were aware of the cybersecurity risks associated with using public WiFi, despite it being a common entry point for cyber criminals.
  • Only 4% of respondents recognized the cyber weaknesses associated with smart home-connected devices.
  • Only half of the respondents actually know what ransomware is; one-fifth of the survey respondents had never even heard the term.

Survey respondents also expressed an alarming lack of knowledge about how cyber breaches occur in the workplace. In conjunction with the release of the survey, Chubb assembled the following advice so individuals can become more proactive about safeguarding themselves against online malfeasance. Here are five steps Chubb recommends to prevent falling victim to cyber criminals: See also: 5 tips to prevent and mitigate the effects of identity theft 6 ways cybersecurity will impact insurers in 2018

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Elana Ashanti Jefferson

Elana Ashanti Jefferson serves as ALM's PropertyCasualty360 Group Chief Editor. She is a veteran journalist and communications professional. Reach her by sending an e-mail to [email protected].