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65 PERCENT OF ADULTS VICTIMIZED BY CYBER CRIME

Posted on September 18, 2010

Cyber crime is a threat and a concern nationwide; so much so that 97 percent of adults expect to be victims at some point in their lives, according to a Wednesday study from Symantec.

Of the 7,000 users surveyed in 14 countries, 65 percent said they were victimized by some type of cyber foul play. Of that, 58 percent felt angry, 51 percent were annoyed, and 40 percent felt cheated.

"Computer viruses and malware attacks are the most common types of cybercrime people suffer from, with 51 percent of adults globally feeling the effects," according to the report, which dubbed the phenomenon "a silent, global, digital epidemic."

In the U.S. alone, about 73 percent had experienced some form of cyber crime, while 55 percent were victims of a computer virus or malware. Only 13 percent of Americans felt "very safe" online.

Because cyber criminals are often difficult to catch, many feel powerless, with 79 percent of global respondants not expecting cyber criminals to be brought to justice.

The average cost of resolving a cybercrime is $334 globally and $128 in the U.S. It takes, on average, about a month to get things resolved, the report said, while 31 percent of global respondents and 25 percent of Americans said their problems were never resolved.

About half of those surveyed did not believe it was possible to restore an online reputation once it was tarnished.

It seems however, that security pundits and vendors are getting the message out about the need for users to take computer security seriously. Seventy percent of those surveyed felt some level of reponsiblity for either staying safe online or for ending up as a victim.

The reports also found China to be the cyber crime capital of the world; about 83 percent of Chinese adults have been victimized. Conversely, the Japanese have the lowest levels of cyber crime, at only 36 percent.

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