Our lives are hurtling faster and deeper into the new digital world we’re creating. Now, with the broad adoption of digital media and social networking, combined with an increasing amount of sensitive data being stored online, personal security is becoming more important than ever. As with most things in life, the importance of computer security increases in priority with age. Different generations understand the problem of online security differently, but does the younger and more tech-savvy Gen Y user manage computer security more effectively, or does the more mature baby boomers guard their personal information and data better?
There are different ways in which your computer can become infected, and each type of attack affects Gen Y and Baby Boomers differently. Infected websites affect both age groups about the same, email affects baby boomers more, and social and P2P file-sharing networks affect Gen Y more. Gen Y tends to be overconfident when it comes to security knowledge. They describe themselves as being more knowledgeable, but have had more computer security issues than their Baby Boomer counterparts. With all the sensitive data being stored on computers these days, no one is safe, and all age groups tend to ignore best security practices, keeping sensitive personal data such as tax records, financial information, and passwords on their computers without adequate protection.
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↬ ZoneAlarm
