Figure 4-3-2-5 Experienced losses from an information security breach

(Source) "Study Report on the Social Impacts of ICT Advancement," MIC (2014)

pan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, and Singapore to determine whether there were any national differences in the awareness of individuals about information security.

### a. Experiences with losses from information security breaches

First, users were asked whether they had experienced a loss resulting from an information security breach in using the Internet. Summing the response rates for “experienced a loss (confirmed, have proof)” and “experienced a loss (possibility exists),” South Korean users led the way, with 39.4 percent reporting a loss, followed in order by French users (34.6 percent) and U.S. users (24.9 percent). On the other hand, the numbers were lower in Japan, with 15.0 percent of Japanese users saying they had experienced a loss, a figure that only edged up to 16.6 percent when the results were limited to smartphone owners (Figure 4-3-2-5).

When asked about the types of losses experienced, the most common loss in Japan was “received unsolicited email (spam) (but not including false billing email)” at 61.3 percent, followed in order by “computer virus infection” (49.3 percent) and “received email demanding payment for an unknown fee (false billing email)” (49.3 percent). “Received unsolicited email (spam) (but not including false billing email)” and “computer virus infection” were among the most common losses experienced in the other countries as well.

### b. Recognition levels of threats on the Internet

Users were asked about their recognition of various threats on the Internet. In Japan, the most widely recognized threats, in order, were “spyware” (63.5 percent), “phishing” (62.6 percent), “one-click fraud” (60.1 percent), “false billing” (59.4 percent), “spam” (58.6 percent), and “malware (computer viruses)” (48.2 percent). Recognition levels for “spyware,” “malware (computer viruses),” and “spam” were generally high in the other countries as well. But there were discrepancies in other countries with Japan’s higher recognition levels of “one-click fraud” and “false billing.” Recognition levels in Japan of newer threats—“targeted attacks,” “list-type account hacking,” and “ransomware”—were all still under 20 percent.

### c. State of information security measures

When it came to information security measures on their own PCs, less than 20 percent of Japanese users “install applications from trusted sites” and “back up important data,” a lower percentage than in the other countries. On smartphones, more Japanese users, 35.9 percent, were likely to “update smartphone operating system and apps” than users in the other countries, but fewer, 14.8 percent, “back up important data” on their smartphones.

Figure 4-3-2-6 compares the implementation of security measures on PCs versus on smartphones for users who own both devices. Security measures on smartphones tended to lag behind measures on PCs. One telling difference was the gap in installing and using “antivirus applications / online services” on PCs versus on smartphones. This gap was around 20 percent in Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and Singapore.