Online Education: Nearly 60% of Learners Face Cyber Threats

Nearly 60% of people who studied online or through hybrid learning experienced at least one cybersecurity incident in the past year. Kaspersky survey found that 62% of respondents participated in some form of education during the past 12 months, with 45% studying entirely online and 40% following a hybrid model. Suspicious messages or links were the most common threat, affecting 27% of respondents, followed by fake applications or websites (20%) and scams through online communities or messaging groups (18%). Other risks included fraudulent courses, malware, personal data exposure and account hacking. Among those affected, 47% reported losing time, 34% lost trust in educational platforms, and 25% suffered financial losses. Marina Titova, Kaspersky's Vice President for Consumer Business, said the growing popularity of online education had increased the need for stronger digital protection. The company is extending its security solutions to ARM-based Windows PCs, including devices powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors. Kaspersky also advised online learners to use unique, strong passwords for each platform and reliable security software to protect against scams and malware.