Confusion and fear send people to Reddit for cybersecurity advice

A strange charge appears on a bank account. An email claims a package is on the way. A social media account stops accepting a password that worked yesterday. When these moments hit, many people do the same thing. They open Reddit and ask strangers for help. A new study shows how often this happens and what people ask when they do.

Researchers affiliated with Google and University College London built an analysis pipeline that sifted through 1.1 billion Reddit posts over four years to understand how users seek help.

Internet users deal with a wide range of threats to their digital privacy, safety, and security. These include account compromise and fraud carried out by cybercriminals, abuse from people they know, and data collection by online platforms. Handling these risks often falls on users who may not have the technical know-how, the right tools, or the support they need to protect themselves.

Read more at Help Net Security