Yesterday, the European Commission released its latest survey on Europeans' attitudes towards cybercrime.

The results show that awareness of cybercrime is rising, with 52% of respondents stating they are fairly well or very well informed about cybercrime, up from 46% in 2017. Europeans are however growing less confident about their capacity to stay safe online: 59% of Internet users think they can protect themselves sufficiently against cybercrime, down from 71% in 2017.

Respondents worry about misuse of their personal data, fraud, being locked out of their computer and forced to pay ransom to access their own data, as well as about identity theft. More than a third have received fraudulent emails or phone calls asking for personal details in the last three years; 8% fell victim to ransomware, and 11% had their social media account or email account hacked. This has an impact on their willingness to use online services: for example, 10% say their concerns make them less likely to make purchases online, the Commission said in a press release.

Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas said: “Fighting cybercrime is a key part of our work towards building a Union that protects its citizens. Cybercriminals know no borders. This is why we will continue to support cooperation and exchange of information between law enforcement authorities and make sure they have the right tools and skills to address the challenges of the digital age.”

Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson added: “We need to do more to raise awareness about threats and about ways to stay safe online, but we cannot stop at prevention alone. We need to close the growing gap between capabilities of criminals and those of law enforcement authorities. This will be one of the priorities in our new way forward on internal security.”

More information can be found here.