Όλοι ξέρουμε ότι υπάρχουν διαφορές ανάμεσα στους άνδρες και τις Women και όλοι έχουμε ακούσει στερεότυπα όπως: «οι γυναίκες δεν οδηγούν καλά» και «οι άνδρες δεν μιλούν για τα συναισθήματα τους». Τι ισχύει όμως στον ψηφιακό κόσμο; Παίζει ρόλο το φύλο στην ασφαλή περιήγηση στο Διαδίκτυο; Μήπως οι online εγκληματίες έχουν ήδη προσαρμόσει τις τακτικές τους με βάση τις προτιμήσεις κάθε φύλου; Έρευνες διεθνών οργανισμών, εξειδικευμένων επιστημόνων, αλλά και της Kaspersky Lab, highlight the security risks that men and women face on the Internet [1].
According to the United Nations database and Eurostat [2], there are no significant differences between men and women regarding Internet use. In 2003, 19% of men in Greece used the Internet, with the corresponding figure for women reaching 13%. Comparatively, the situation has not changed much over time, with 64% of Greek men and 56% of Greek women "surfing" online in 2013.
However, there are differences in the way the two sexes use the Internet. These differences are particularly evident when we talk about electronic games, video and music, areas where men are more active than women. On the other hand, women who use social networking sites are more than men [3].
"Research in the field of cyber psychology shows differences between the sexes in the use of the Internet, but also in the way they perceive the dangers on the Internet. Women are more likely to use social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, for social interaction, while men are more focused on online gaming, online shopping, information retrieval and social support. Although each online environment presents its own risks, men seem to be more vulnerable online because they seem to take - as in the real world - more risks than women, degrading the likelihood of falling victim, as well as the severity of consequences ", explains Kyriaki G. Giota, MSc., PhD Candidate at the University of Thessaly.
Overall, we can say that both genders are active on social media. Humans are social beings and seek contact with others, both in real life and online. However, women are more active on these sites. For them, communication with others is more important than opportunities for direct competition. Social networking sites perfectly satisfy this need [3].
Recent Kaspersky Lab survey of users across Europe [4], confirms that there are gender differences in terms of the consequences of "malware" infection. At 17%, men have admitted that they have suffered financial losses due to malware, while the equivalent rate for women reaches 14%.
In addition, 16% of men said that unwanted software was installed on their computer when downloading music, software, videos, and more. Similar situations have been experienced by 11% of women. At the same time, 19% of men believe that online money theft is a rare phenomenon and that it is unlikely to cope with it. On the contrary, once 13% of women have agreed to this claim.
"Both men and women need to understand what they are doing online and what they should be aware of for their digital safety," said Dragan Martinovic, Managing Director για την περιοχή της Νοτιοανατολικής Ευρώπης στην Kaspersky Lab. «Εφόσον οι γυναίκες χρησιμοποιούν τα social media περισσότερο, θα πρέπει, για παράδειγμα, να δώσουν μεγαλύτερη προσοχή στις attacks phishing με στόχο τους χρήστες του Facebook. Οι άνδρες που επισκέπτονται συχνά sites με παιχνίδια, μουσική ή βίντεο θα πρέπει να γνωρίζουν τους κινδύνους των drive-by downloads"He added.
According to analyzes by Kaspersky Lab last year, 7 from 20's most widespread "Internet parasites" threatened users through drive-by-download attacks [5]. Drive-by-downloads are now the biggest threat to users, as their devices can be "infected" simply by visiting a broken website.
About phishing on social media, Kaspersky Lab's analysis [6] shows that during the first quarter of 2014, almost every 11η Phishing attempt that the company detected was aimed at stamping login information on Facebook accounts.
More information and ways to protect users' personal information are included in Kaspersky Lab's "Social Network Fraud" survey, which is available at Securelist.com.
[1] www.kaspersky.com/cyberpsychology
[3] http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2012.0033 / Richard Joiner, Jeff Gavin, Mark Brosnan, John Cromby, Helen Gregory, Jane Guiller, Pam Maras, and Amy Moon. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. July 2012, 15 (7): 370-372. two: 10.1089 / cyber.2012.0033
[4] The survey was conducted to 2014 by B2B International for Kaspersky Lab. In total, 11.135 users from 23 countries, 2.821 from which they were in Europe participated.
[6] http://www.kaspersky.com/about/news/virus/2014/Facebook-users-most-likely-targets-of-account-theft
