About RBC > Media Newsroom > News Releases > RBC survey shows most Canadians’ understanding of cyber security threats and how to protect themselves is low
Millennials most confident online, most likely to engage in risky cyber behaviour according to Ipsos results
TORONTO, October 10, 2018 - In the first major survey of Canadians’ attitudes to cyber security and the financial industry, and in anticipation of Cyber Awareness Month, RBC partnered with Ipsos to survey more than 2,000 Canadians on their cyber knowledge to gain more insight into Canadians’ concerns about cyber security and the steps they can take to protect themselves.
While 77% of Canadians believe they are knowledgeable on cyber security, only 16% could identify the majority of cyber terms correctly. Nearly two-thirds (61%) could not identify the term ”phishing”, which describes an email designed to trick the recipient into clicking a link or opening an attachment in an effort to steal information or install malicious software.
“As our world becomes increasingly connected through the internet of things, there are more reasons for Canadians to learn how to protect themselves and their data,” said Laurie Pezzente, Chief Security Officer & Senior Vice-President of Global Cyber Security, RBC. “The survey results show we need to help educate our clients to actively safeguard themselves against malicious activity.”
While millennials lead the way in terms of cyber security knowledge over all other age groups, they were also the least concerned about safeguarding their personal information.
As the speed and complexity of the cyber landscape continues to evolve, online attacks increase, and over-sharing of personal data rises, low cyber literacy is of significant concern. RBC is committed to providing Canadians with cyber security resources to help educate and protect our clients.
Here are some ways to spot a phishing scam and keep confidential information from falling into the wrong hands:
Visit the Be Cyber Aware website for more information www.rbc.com/cyber.
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Media contact:
Erin Farquharson, RBC, 416-974-3552