Consumers are rethinking how they protect themselves online, and the shift shows up clearly in purchasing habits. G2A.COM, a digital marketplace serving more than 35 million users across 180 countries, has reported a 35% year-on-year increase in orders for antivirus and security software, a rate of growth that has outpaced VPN sales on the platform. The figures, released during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, point to a broader change in how people think about defending their digital lives.
A Shift from Privacy to Layered Protection
According to the marketplace data, security software accounted for 43% of cybersecurity-related orders in the period, up from 39% a year earlier. VPNs still make up the larger share of the category overall, but their dominance is narrowing. Total orders across cybersecurity products on G2A.COM rose by almost a quarter, suggesting that interest in digital protection is expanding rather than simply moving from one product type to another.
For much of the past decade, VPNs stood as the default entry point into consumer cybersecurity, prized for encrypting internet traffic and masking a user's location or identity. Antivirus software, by contrast, was often treated as a background utility, something bundled with a new computer rather than actively chosen. That hierarchy appears to be loosening. "What we're seeing is a shift from privacy-first protection towards a more layered approach to cybersecurity," said Adrian Podkaminer, Chief Information Security Officer at G2A.COM. "As people move between more devices, accounts and digital services, effective cybersecurity increasingly depends on different safeguards working together rather than relying on a single solution."
Why the Threat Landscape Is Pushing Consumers to Diversify
The change in buying patterns tracks with a wider evolution in cyber threats. The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity's Threat Landscape 2026 report identifies ransomware as the most damaging type of incident in the short term, while social engineering continues to be a dominant method for breaching trust and extracting sensitive information. Neither threat is addressed by a VPN alone. A VPN encrypts the connection between a device and the internet, which protects data in transit and can obscure a user's location, but it does nothing to stop a malicious file from executing once downloaded, or a convincing phishing message from tricking someone into handing over credentials. Antivirus and endpoint security tools are built for that different job: scanning files, blocking malicious code and flagging suspicious behavior on the device itself.
That distinction helps explain why consumers appear to be adding security software to their toolkit rather than replacing VPNs outright. The two categories address separate parts of a threat model, and as attacks increasingly combine technical exploits with manipulation, relying on a single layer of defense leaves obvious gaps.
Shared Responsibility, Divided Opinion
Despite taking a more active role in securing their own devices, consumers do not see cybersecurity as solely their burden. A separate survey conducted by G2A.COM and Juniper Research, covering 9,000 consumers across nine countries for the Trust in Digital Commerce report, found that half of respondents believe e-commerce platforms carry the main responsibility for security. About a third pointed to banks and payment providers, while only one in five said the responsibility rests primarily with consumers themselves.
G2A.COM frames its own obligations in that context, citing its use of Know Your Customer, Know Your Business and Anti-Money Laundering processes, paired with AI-based fraud detection and ongoing monitoring of sellers on the platform. The company says it works exclusively with verified business sellers as part of that framework.
Practical Steps for Cybersecurity Awareness Month
The company is using the awareness campaign to encourage habits that complement any security software purchase:
- Use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication, especially for email, shopping and payment accounts.
- Install operating system, browser and application updates as soon as they become available.
- Treat unexpected login requests, downloads or urgent payment messages with caution, and go directly to official websites or apps rather than following embedded links.
- Review exactly what a security product covers, including device compatibility and subscription renewal terms, before purchase.
The data suggests that consumers increasingly understand that no single product offers complete protection. Devices, accounts and digital identities each carry distinct vulnerabilities, and the growing appetite for layered defenses may be one of the more durable lessons of this year's Cybersecurity Awareness Month.