Internet
Study: 60 percent of consumers are not safe online
Internet users in Germany currently feel less protected against cyber attacks than in the past eight years. Photo: Lino Mirgeler/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Consumers in Germany feel increasingly insecure online. The index of “Germany safe online” falls to a new low this year.
Internet users in Germany currently feel less protected against cyber attacks than in the past eight years. This is the result of the current security index of the “Germany Safely Online” (DsiN) initiative, which was published in Berlin on Wednesday.
At the same time, attacks on the Internet reached a new high. On average, almost two thirds of all consumers (60 percent) need additional help online, the survey found.
The 2022 Overall Threat Index, which is intended to reflect the general digital security situation for consumers, fell by 2.9 points compared to the previous year to a poor value of 59.8 points. With the index, the researchers are attempting to reconcile the subjective threat with the actual level of consumer protection on the basis of a representative survey. The best level so far was reached in 2016 with 65.4 points.
Level of protection stagnates
According to the initiative, the bad index value is due to a sharp increase in the threat situation and a stagnating level of protection. In almost all areas surveyed, consumers complained about more security incidents. “With scam and phishing via SMS, two threats rise in the list of the top five threats.”
However, the sense of threat differs very clearly in different population groups: while the “sovereign user groups” are relatively safe on the Internet with over 70 points, the “fatalists” (45.6 points), “outsiders” (45.9 points) and also the “credulous” (56.7 points) well behind. «The security gap in Germany shows that digital skills are of crucial importance for one’s own IT security. This is where we have to start and focus more on the division of labor in the educational work,” said Thomas Tschersich, CEO of DsiN.
A survey also published on Wednesday on behalf of the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv) showed that 70 percent of those surveyed would like legally stipulated, uniform minimum requirements for their IT security that are controlled by recognized bodies. According to Lina Ehrig, head of the digital and media team at vzbv, the European and national laws to protect consumers when dealing with products have gotten stuck in the analogue era. “In the case of digital services and networked devices, completely different security requirements apply than for purely physical products. This gap urgently needs to be closed.”