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Millennials Are a Bigger Security Risk than Old Folks

October 26, 2016

A Microsoft study reveals that Millennials are more likely to fall for security scams. Specifically, users were tested using the same techniques as the current tech support scams. The scams take on several different presentations, but often begin with fake blue screens of death advertisement pages warning of malware infections. Once you click through or call the displayed phone number, users are often asked for remote access to their computer. In another common variant, the user receives a cold call purportedly from Microsoft tech support stating that the computer is infected with malware and has sent data to Microsoft about the infection. The caller tells the user to execute some commands to show errors, thus trying to validate the infection. Ultimately, the scam tries to get remote access to the machine.

No matter what the delivery method of the scam, the younger folks bit more often. Only 17 per cent of respondents 55 years and older took the bait, while 34 per cent of folks aged between 36 and 54 fell for scams. No matter how old you are, Microsoft does not call you to tell you that your machine is infected.

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