Did you know that life expectancy in Spain reached 83.3 years in 2021? This means that we are living longer and longer. And thanks to the development of information and communication technologies, we lead increasingly connected lives. This presents society with the challenge of providing the elderly with safe Internet browsing.
The health crisis accelerated connectivity, which ceased to be a trend and became a reality: teleworking is already consolidated, online commerce and entertainment, telemedicine, digital banking and the way we relate to our loved ones, from distance.
In 2021, as a result of the boom in remote activities, Spain became the most attacked country. According to the data provided in its latest report on computer threats, prepared by the cybersecurity company ESET, Spain suffered more than 51,000 million desktop attacks, much more than the attacks unleashed on France (21,000 million), Germany (19,000 million) and Poland (18,000 million). Bad data fueled by the growth of remote work around the world.
Seniors on the internet: messages and news
20% of the Spanish population, about nine and a half million people, are elderly. In the current scenario, the number of people over 65 who have gone digital has also grown. In its latest report on the digital divide, the Democratic Union of Pensioners and Retirees of Spain (Democratic Union of Pensioners and Retirees of Spain), UDP, notes that the regular use of the Internet by this group of people has increased in recent yearsfrom 32.7% in 2017 to 60% in 2021.
The UDP Major Scale aims at exchanging “messages with family and friends” through WhatsApp or SMS as the main use of the internet by older people, with 85.1%, followed by 80.8% of people who use the internet to be well informed. Other common activities are those related banking and health, or online shopping. However, it establishes that among the “older, less educated and less wealthy people” the various digital activities decrease significantly.
Seniors in Cyber Danger
One of the most common complaints among the older population is a lack of technology skills and the need for face-to-face assistance or help with video conferencing, online shopping, and banking. And despite everything, the elders have had to learn, in many cases, as they could. Their lack of experience has made them a target for cyber criminals.
Identity fraud remains one of the most common cyber scams. It is the identity theft of entities, such as the bank, through emails. Many of these messages include links to fraudulent websites or malicious attachments that, when downloaded, will install malicious software or malware, thereby infecting the senior’s device.
Another common digital scam is smishing, a type of deception through SMS, WhatsApp or voice messages. In this case, cybercriminals once again impersonate well-known companies such as parcel, electrical or banking companies, or official bodies, which instil confidence. Both text messages and voice messages are intended to obtain personal information such as passwords, phone numbers, banking information, etc.
Finally, we can highlight a third danger that older people often face on the Internet: online shopping. The creation of attractive fake online stores with fake products it is the gateway to get money from their victims. Thus, through great offers or copying the image of well-known brands, cybercriminals can also appropriate crucial information from our elders: passwords, personal data, etc.
Keys to safe Internet browsing for people aged 60 or over
To solve the problems that the elderly have on the internet, the National Institute of Cybersecurity, INCIBEdependent on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, has promoted a series of cybersecurity awareness initiatives for help them enjoy the internet safely. This organization aims to improve the digital skills of users over 60 years of age and their cyber assistants or technological guides, with specific training materials that allow them to acquire the basic notions necessary to navigate the Internet with confidence and security.
The Internet Security Office, OSI, has prepared a campaign called Senior Experience in which they remind us of a series of tips that we can pass on to our elders so that they themselves learn to identify the risks that exist on the Internet. To identify risks such as fake offers and scams, to identify reliable shopping websites, to use secure payment methods.
In addition to these tips, must what’s more teach older people that the best cybersecurity tool is themselves. For example, we should talk to them about keeping their devices’ operating systems and antivirus software up to date, enabling two-step verification systems whenever possible, always opting for strong passwords, not giving out personal information without confirming who are. give it to them, and beware of certain types of emails where the sender or purpose of the message is unclear.
If we know how older people navigate the Internet and the type of dangers to which they are exposed, we can help them to navigate more safely, to be independent in the digital environment and to enjoy healthy aging.