According to a research conducted by Avast, grandparents aged between in 55 to 64 are being targeted mainly by those spreading ransomware, tech support scams, spyware and botnets.
Whereas, the younger generation was being hit by TikTok scams that mainly spread malware, spyware, adware and data, stealing Trojans to mobiles.
The reason the older and younger generation is being targeted by two different online threats is simple- because they use a different type of computing devices to access online services.
While the younger generation uses smart phones to go online, those above 60 are found using laptops for their internet access needs.
Supporting the analysis is another research made by YouGov that recorded digital citizenship trends of those living in New Zealand, United States and Canada.
It was discovered in their survey that most of the ransomware attacks were taking place on the west and the prime target were the private entities that could quench the high ransom demands of the hackers.
Most of the respondents who took part in the survey agreed it is best to bow down to the demands of the hackers, as data recovery was time-consuming and financially burdensome.
And sometimes where data was stolen to target the victim with double extortion, getting an assurance from hackers that the stolen data was deleted from the servers and will never be used in other malpractices was extremely vital.
Coming back to the internet access trends between the younger and older generation, social media access to stay connected with near & dear and using TikTok for promoting themselves was the reason the young were sticking to smart phones almost 6-8 hours a day. And for the middle age, staying connected, using computing devices like tablets and laptops for banking and financial activity was important.
For the older, accessing email, bank related online services and staying digitally connected to their family and friends was the main reason for them to go online- making all of them super susceptible to hackers involved in various types of cybercrime.
