After all, it's not just Mark Zuckerberg who covers his webcam. To protect their privacy, some users reach the point of absurdity and turn to various solutions, to keep their personal data away from prying eyes in the online world. Multiple surveys by Kaspersky Lab show that not enough users are aware of the risks, but even those who have relevant knowledge use the wrong methods to stay safe on the Internet. 
Research shows that internet users are turning to a variety of different methods to keep their privacy safe. Specifically, 22% of Europeans admit that it covers webcam in an effort to protect his private life. However, it is important to recognize that webcam coverage can not prevent audio tapping and protect users from listening to hackers or malicious groups.
More than a quarter of European internet users (27%) store their sensitive data on devices that do not have access to the Internet, erroneously believing that it guarantees the protection of their data. However, although this theory is based on logic, while being necessary to secure backups from the effects of an attack on a ransomware program, a device can be "infected" via a connected smartphone or USB stick even without an Internet connection.
Το 19% των Ευρωπαίων ερωτηθέντων παραδέχτηκε ότι προσπαθεί να αποφεύγει τη χρήση δημοφιλών ιστότοπων, όπως το Google και το Facebook, λόγω των προσωπικών πληροφοριών που συγκεντρώνουν, παρά το γεγονός ότι σήμερα αποτελεί συνήθη πρακτική για όλες σχεδόν τις ιστοσελίδες να παρακολουθούν τους χρήστες και να συλλέγουν κάποια δεδομένα χρήστη.
In addition, an 8% admitted that it hides its computer from other people, even if it does not help protect it from online threats. Also, 7% said it spends time introducing and then deleting its credit card details during an online payment in an effort to "confuse" viruses, despite the fact that malicious software, especially keyloggers, can not be "confused" in this way.
Although some use these extreme but inadequate methods, statistics show that other Internet users have a significant lack of technology knowledge. As soon as 20% of Europeans said they felt they could be targeted on the Internet, 21% said they did not believe that a security solution was necessary, raising questions about online awareness and the ability of users to protect themselves from attacks.
David Emm, Principal Security Researcher of Kaspersky Lab, commented: "These findings show two ends. On the one hand there are people who think they can keep their data safe by hiding, for example, their computers. On the other hand, there are still those who simply do not take the necessary precautions on the Internet. People need to become more tech savvy. With today's security solutions, users have the ability to protect themselves from digital threats without having to resort to extreme solutions.”
Users can protect themselves from online threats without having to resort to extreme – or inaccurate – methods. The Kaspersky Internet Security solution, for example, can protect users without affecting their digital life. Webcam Protection for Mac and Windows devices can maintain users' privacy, while special anti-tracking features – such as Private Browsing – can help users who want to avoid being tracked by websites by cutting off user data from movement on the Internet.
To test your level of knowledge about digital security, you can visit the website: https://blog.kaspersky.com/cyber-savvy-quiz/. More tips on how to protect yourself on the Internet are available on the website: https://blog.kaspersky.com/tag/cybersavvy.
The data comes from Consumer Security Risks 2015 and by an online specialist test of Kaspersky Lab.
