A new infographic from anti-virus company Kaspersky Labs suggests the cost of an individual’s lax approach to online security could be over US$2,000 with criminals able to make more money from any initial loss to the hacked individual.

As revealed by this blog on ExpertReviews once your security has been compromised the average cyber criminal could make a fortune from additional access to the services you now take for granted online.

Scaring yourself to death and shutting down your internet use however is not the answer. With just a few small investments and some use of common sense you can help yourself to minimise your risk of being hacked. For starters purchasing and installing Panda Global Protection from 123-reg will give you up-to-date anti-virus protection, a firewall, spam protection for your email and the peace of mind of a back-up to ensure your personal data is secure and protected.

Have  you been the victim of cyber crime? Are the values in the infographic realistic?