Security Staff Acquisition & Development, Threat Management

Poll: Most Americans concerned about cyberattacks

The Associated Press reports that nearly 90% of Americans reported being at least somewhat worried regarding cyberattacks involving their personal data, government agencies, financial institutions and some utilities, while approximately two-thirds reported being either very or extremely concerned regarding such incidents.

Almost 75% of the respondents cited Russia and China as major threats to U.S. cybersecurity and at least 50% noted the threat of Iranian threat actors, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and The Pearson Institute. Older adults had significantly higher odds of seeing China and Russia as serious threats, while Democrats were slightly more likely to view the Russian government as a huge threat.

The findings indicate the elevated cybersecurity threat awareness among the American public, according to Cyber Threat Alliance CEO Michael Daniel.

"We don't need to do a whole lot more awareness raising," said Daniel, who was a top cybersecurity official during the Obama administration.

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