Security Architecture, Endpoint/Device Security, IoT, Endpoint/Device Security, Endpoint/Device Security, Endpoint/Device Security

Consumers worry about their data, but don’t bother much with security

A recent worldwide consumer survey found a major disconnect between general fears about cybersecurity and the actions taken to protect not only their personal information, but their families from cyberattacks.

A McAfee survey of 6,400 people found that when it comes to online family safety, identity theft protection and the connected home many people either don't understand the risks or have simply not bothered to protect themselves.

When it comes to keeping track of what their children are doing online the survey found that almost one-third of parents do not monitor their kids online activities and device usage and 33 percent simply don't understand the risks well enough to explain all the potential dangers to their children. On the bright side 79 percent said they had talked to their kids about online safety.

Despite the many public hacks that compromised personally identifiable information that took place last year, only 37 percent of those surveyed use an identity monitoring service, although 67 percent claim to keep an eye on their various accounts to prevent identity theft.

The survey results surrounding the connected home offered an interesting mix of having about half the people being aware of the problems involved in remaining secure, but then again only half or so bothered to do anything to lock down their smart devices.

The most worrying statistic uncovered was that 44 percent of those surveyed leave their home network open and accessible to others, despite the fact that 63 percent said their biggest fear in this area is having their identity stolen through their home network.

The reason behind this lack of home network security is answered by the 53 percent who told McAfee that they are unsure how to secure their devices.

The survey consisted of 6,400 respondents from the U.S., UK, Australia, Germany, France and Singapore.

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