Here Are the Online Behaviours Putting Canadians at Risk of Cyber Attack

A person types on a keyboard, in a file photo. The Epoch Times

Nearly 40 percent of Canadians are putting themselves at risk of a cyber attack, according to a recent survey.

The RBC Cyber Safety Index found that 38 percent, or nearly two in five Canadians are at moderate to high risk of becoming targets for cybercriminals due to their online habits, according to an Oct. 1 RBC news release.

RBC’s survey also asked Canadians about their online activities, particularly those that could increase their exposure to cyber attacks. More than 77 percent said they “knowingly or accidentally” engaged in one risky behaviour in the last year.

Nearly half of those surveyed, 49 percent, said they have used public Wi-Fi. Twenty-seven percent said they shared their personal information when asked, and 19 percent clicked on pop-up ads.

Other risky online behaviours include visiting unsecured websites (18 percent), and ignoring privacy settings on social media platforms (13 percent).

Using the same password across multiple platforms was another common practice that 35 percent of Canadians surveyed admitted to. Thirty-two percent said they were more concerned about missing out on deals than disclosing personal information online and 31 percent said they had responded to unsolicited text messages or social media messages.

RBC said the results leave “considerable room to improve across the board.”

“The responses to our Cyber Safety Index show that while many Canadians are aware of things they can do to be safer online, there’s still opportunities for them to change behaviours and close that risk gap,” said RBC chief information security officer Adam Evans.

The survey also looked at how many Canadians are using best practices to stay safe online. It found that 71 percent keep their software and operating systems updated, and 67 percent said they use two-factor authentication for online banking accounts.

Participants were also asked if they use privacy and security settings on all devices, to which 65 percent said they did. Another 63 percent said they limit who follows them on social media.

When using public Wi-Fi, 30 percent of respondents said they use virtual private networks or VPNs to keep their devices secure. Twenty-eight percent said they use password generators to create passwords for their accounts.

Staying Safe Online

The survey also sought to determine whether Canadians felt anxious about their safety on the internet, with the majority affirming their concerns.

The biggest concern Canadians have is that someone else will get access to their online accounts at 87 percent. Other major concerns were identity theft (84 percent), being hacked (84 percent), online fraud (80 percent), and corporate data breaches (79 percent).

While these numbers were similar to 2023, the survey found that people are feeling less safe on social media than they were last year. The number of Canadians who said they feel safe engaging in social media activities dropped seven points to 69 percent, according to the news release.

To stay safe online, the RCMP offers the following tips:

• Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols for passwords;
• Set social media security settings to private;
• Secure wireless networks (Wi-Fi);
• Don’t reply to emails that ask for information or confirmation of your user ID or password.

Keeping Wi-Fi connections secure includes using a VPN, keeping Wi-Fi settings off unless you need them, and using a firewall, according to Canadian government’s “Get Cyber Safe” website.