New Zealand is an outgoing nation of social butterflies but gets itself into a flap with online security with over two-thirds (68%) falling victim to an online threat.

According to new research by Trend Micro, many social butterflies have flown too close to the sun, experiencing a number of repercussions for their social behaviour:

• 68% have been a victim to an online threat despite 67% of them believing they were unlikely to do so

• 27% have had their email account

• 21% clicked on a link that posted content to their Facebook wall without permission

• 16% have purchased something online that has never arrived

• 8% have had their social network hacked

• 7% clicked on a link from a social media site that was of malicious nature and caused harm to the computer or files

New Zealand’s social butterflies are a demographic with an appetite for a large number of Facebook friends, the love of social media and feel the need to be out and about with others.

The online behaviour of these social butterflies is quite distinctive too:

• 43% engage on Facebook more than once a day

• 34% regularly download or stream content from paid, unpaid and free websites (2-3 times per week)

• 20% shop online 2-3 times per week

"New Zealanders' forward-thinking approach to technology and our generally trusting and easy-going nature make us a prime target for cyber criminals," says Greg Boyle, Trend Micro.

"With the rise in connected smartphones and tablets Kiwis are connected no matter where we are.

"While this offers great convenience and choice in areas such as shopping, it also brings a number of dangers with it too.

“It's important for people to recognise the risks and take some simple steps to protect themselves regardless of the device they are using."

Below are tips from Trend Micro with regards to how to stay safe online:

· Don’t go online shopping or banking in places with unsecure networks or via public hot spots. Doing this opens the door to cybercriminals to hijacking your shopping session or drop malicious files onto your device.

· Bookmark your favourite sites rather than relying on search engines. Cybercriminals often count on misspelled links to lead victims to spoofed sites.

· Never click on suspicious links, no matter how promising their accompanying messages seem.

· Avoid over sharing personal information online. Be sure to delete any unnecessary content that you may have posted on a whim.

· Ensure your software security is up-to-date: Install Trend Micro's Maximum Security software to protect your devices from things such as viruses, spyware and spam. This works across up to 5 devices.