70 percent of Japanese users with no formal education on cybersecurity

The survey polled 1,033 respondents in Japan to gain insights into attitudes, knowledge and user behaviour there when it comes to cybersecurity. The findings show that while more than 70% of the respondents did not receive any formal education about cybersecurity, at least 4 out of 5 respondents were able to correctly answer basic cybersecurity questions.

Japan had the highest cyber-savviness score ahead of Malaysia, Singapore, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Vietnam, in that order. Cyber-savviness is based on factors such as users’ knowledge or ability to understand activities that are likely to make them vulnerable online, risky behaviours while surfing the web, and the proactive steps they can take to protect themselves online.

However, the Japan survey results point to a significant gap between user awareness and implementation of security measures. For example, while as many as 96% of respondents were aware of the security threat posed by using the same password for different accounts, only 1 in 5 people set separate passwords for their individual online accounts.

Study also showed that users in Japan do not engage in risky cyber behaviour. 80% of respondents know to immediately disconnect a breached device from the Internet and 71% do not open or download attachments from unknown senders.

Parvinder Walia, Sales and Marketing Director, ESET Asia-Pacific, said that The ESET Japan Cyber-Savviness Report 2016 highlights that even with all the technological advancements in Japan, there are still holes within the country’s cybersecurity fabric that need to be filled. To help users in Japan feel confident as they make use of various technologies, there is an urgent need to ensure that users take concrete preventive steps while continuing to strengthen cybersecurity awareness across the country.