A new University of California study[pdf] shows that underserved people face higher cybersecurity risks than other citizens. The study defines underserved people as “residents from low-income households, foreign-born and foreign-language speakers, and seniors.”
The survey found that underserved people are more likely to fall victim to cyber scams, to experience online harassment by strangers, to give their Social Security Number (SSN) or payment card information to complete strangers online, and to have malware render their devices unresponsive. In addition, a whopping 41% of underserved respondents did not know if their computer or phone had every been infected with malware, compared to only 6% of control group respondents.
According to Ahmad Sultan who authored the study, the report exposes “a new ‘digital divide’ that needs to be addressed—with urgency—by the public and private sectors alike.”
Read more: Report: Under-Resourced People Face Higher-Than-Average Cyber Risks
