Chennai: A new research from Avast, a leading player in digital security and privacy, has revealed that older and younger generations are being targeted by different online threats based on the primary device that they use to go online.
The research, which forms part of a comprehensive global study with YouGov into digital citizenship trends, found that a majority of those aged 65+ (40 per cent) and the age group of 25-35 (39 per cent) primarily use their desktop computer or laptop to go online. This makes them more susceptible to ransomware, tech support scams, spyware/Trojans, and Botnets, which can be accidentally or unknowingly downloaded or accessed via links in emails or through malicious websites.
In contrast, 25-34 and 35-44 year olds mainly use their smartphone to go online (87 per cent each) followed by 18-24 year olds (85 per cent) making them targets for Adware, mobile banking Trojans, downloader and FluBot SMS scams spreading malware, and Instagram and TikTok scams promoting adware apps or Fleeceware. Across all devices, younger and older generations are also targets for phishing attacks and romance scams.