Overview

• Only 44 percent of more than 3,000 respondents now use secure passwords, down three points from last year and 13 points since 2023.
• Two-factor authentication adoption has slipped to 34 percent, marking an eight-point decline compared with 2023.
• About one third of users feel overconfident in their safety, a quarter find security measures too complex and one fifth feel overwhelmed by them.
• Seven percent of respondents reported being targeted by cybercrime in the past year, with two percent suffering financial losses.
• The BSI has issued detailed “checklists for emergencies” and police are urging victims to report incidents to enhance prevention and prosecution efforts.