A new study by security vendor Symantec reports that Internet crime has grown into a widespread problem globally. It also provides intriguing insights into consumers' lax attitudes toward online piracy, plagiarism, and other illegally or unethical activities.
Some 7,000 adults in 14 nations participated in the Norton Cybercrime Report: The Human Impact, which was released Wednesday.
The study says that cybercrime is quite commonplace; more than 65 percent of participants say they've been a victim of online crime, including virus or malware attacks, online scams, phishing, social network profile hacking, credit card fraud, and sexual predation.
Malware attacks, which have affected just over half of all respondents, are by far the most common form of cybercrime. With more serious offenses, however, the victim rate drops dramatically. For instance, just 10 percent of adults say they've fallen prey to online scams, and a mere 7 percent have experienced credit card fraud.
China tops the list of online crime hotspots; 83 percent of respondents there have been victimized. Brazil and India tie for second at 76 percent; and the U.S. is third at 73 percent.
For businesses, the Norton report has some thought-provoking implications. Just over a quarter (28 percent) of adults worldwide expect to be defrauded online, and nearly nine out of ten (86 percent) think about cybercrime.
The study says that cybercrime is quite commonplace; more than 65 percent of participants say they've been a victim of online crime, including virus or malware attacks, online scams, phishing, social network profile hacking, credit card fraud, and sexual predation.
Malware attacks, which have affected just over half of all respondents, are by far the most common form of cybercrime. With more serious offenses, however, the victim rate drops dramatically. For instance, just 10 percent of adults say they've fallen prey to online scams, and a mere 7 percent have experienced credit card fraud.
China tops the list of online crime hotspots; 83 percent of respondents there have been victimized. Brazil and India tie for second at 76 percent; and the U.S. is third at 73 percent.
For businesses, the Norton report has some thought-provoking implications. Just over a quarter (28 percent) of adults worldwide expect to be defrauded online, and nearly nine out of ten (86 percent) think about cybercrime.
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