Keeping our digital footprint private is growing more important – and challenging – in today’s increasingly connected world, finds Kaspersky Lab. Results from a survey of 2,000 UK adults found that people believe there is not enough business or state protection currently in place to defend it:
41% of UK respondents think that businesses should do more to protect their personal data, including passwords, addresses and bank account details, from hacking
More than a quarter think there is not enough state support with regards to data security and cyber-protection
Over one-in-ten (12%) respondents in the UK have been so concerned by a high-profile data breach that they have shut down one or more of their social media accounts in response.
The ramifications of a secret being revealed online as a result of a digital privacy breach is increasingly stark: people fear financial ruin, reputational damage, losing friends and even partners and family members. One in five (21%) would even fear losing their job as a result of a secret being revealed.
A new study from Kaspersky Lab has shown that whilst people fear the loss of their digital privacy, they also expect more from businesses and the government to protect it. More than two-fifths (41%) of those surveyed, think that businesses should do more to protect their personal data from hacking, whilst over a quarter think that there is currently not enough state support in regard to data security and cyber-protection.
Whether it is a password, bank account details or a series of photos taken at university, everyone has a multitude of secrets that they need to keep safe. Over one-in-ten (12%) respondents in the UK have actually been so concerned by a high-profile data breach that they have shut down one or more of their social media accounts in response.
However, despite the prevalence of these seemingly daily data breaches, less than a third (34%) of respondents say they have strengthened their passwords. Under half (43%) admit to having up-to-date security protection on all their devices.
“We have become a society built upon digital secrets, with those secrets becoming commoditised and traded on the dark web. There is more that businesses can and should do to help protect their customers – including security solutions that significantly mitigate the risk of a successful attack on their systems, running fully updated software, performing regular security audits, performing penetration testing and ensuring that customer data is secure. However, there is also much that consumers can do to protect themselves. That includes strengthening their passwords and protecting all their devices,” comments David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab.
“We have become a society built upon digital secrets, with those secrets becoming commoditised and traded on the dark web. There is more that businesses can and should do to help protect their customers – including security solutions that significantly mitigate the risk of a successful attack, running fully updated software, performing regular security audits and performing penetration testing. However, there is also much that consumers can do to protect themselves. That includes strengthening their passwords and protecting all their devices,” comments David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab.
Research methodology
The research was conducted for Kaspersky Lab by Arlington Research using an online survey of 2,000 nationally representative adults in the UK and 2,000 nationally representative adults in Germany. Nationally representative quotas were set for gender, age and region. For a full breakdown of the results, please click here.
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company, which has been operating in the market for 21 years. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into next generation security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
