Most of Gen Y (63pc) is more confident in its computer security knowledge than Baby Boomers, however, 50pc of Gen Y survey respondents have had security issues in the past two years compared with 42pc of Baby Boomers, a new report suggests.
The Generation Gap in Computer Security reveals differences in the use of computer security between Gen Y and Baby Boomers.
Among the findings in the report are that 31pc of Gen Y rank security as the most important consideration when making decisions about their computers in comparison to 58pc of Baby Boomers. Gen Y prioritises entertainment and community above security, and 78pc of them do not follow security best practices.
Gen Y respondents are less likely to use paid antivirus, third-party firewalls, or integrated security suites than Baby Boomers. One reason for this may be because security software is perceived as being too expensive (by 45pc of Gen Y, compared to 37pc of Baby Boomers).
“Growing up in the digital age, Gen Y may appear to be a more tech-savvy generation, but that does not translate into safer computer and online practices,” said Tomer Teller, security evangelist and researcher at Check Point Software Technologies.
“Gen Y tends to prioritise entertainment and community over security, perhaps due to overconfidence in their security knowledge. For example, they’re more concerned about gaming or other social activities than their online security. They also have less sophisticated security software, and hence, have reported more security problems than other groups, such as Baby Boomers.”
The infographic below illustrates the survey results published in the report, including the source of security attacks that cause Gen Y and Baby Boomers the most concern, and the types of computer security issues the two groups have encountered in the past two years.
