London, March 18, 2016: New research from provider of mobile and Internet security BullGuard has revealed that 66 per cent of consumers were very worried about hacks and breaches against their IoT devices, while 72 per cent didn’t know how to protect themselves from these risks
A survey of over 6,000 UK residents by BullGuard, illustrated just how widespread the Internet of Things (IoT) had already become while also highlighting serious security concerns among consumers.
Deep security concerns
BullGuard found that 66 per cent of consumers are ‘very concerned’ or ‘highly concerned’ about potential hacking and data theft carried out against their connected devices, with a worryingly large 34 per cent having already experienced a security incident or privacy problem in the past. A large 78 per cent of consumers expressed concern about security risks such as viruses, malware and hackers, while 66 per cent of consumers expressed concern over data collected by device manufacturers being inappropriately used or stolen. 57 per cent of consumers were also anxious about privacy breaches.
BullGuard’s research revealed that 22 per cent of consumers with advanced technical skills were not confident in their ability to keep their connected devices secure.
IoT used for state spying
Paul Lipman, Chief Executive Officer of BullGuard said in a written statement, “Most of us have been working with Internet connected devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets for some time, but the Internet of Things is changing our perception of personal security, for both ourselves and our data. It’s not just those who consider themselves ‘technophobes’ that have these concerns – tech savvy users are saying the same.”
When asked how they would rate their computer skills, the majority of respondents – 63 per cent – described themselves as ‘intermediate or advanced’. 81 per cent said they were capable of setting up their own router, yet when asked if they had changed their router’s password, 63 per cent said ‘no.’ 49 per cent also admitted that they didn’t know how, and a substantial 72 per cent did not know how to configure a router to keep a home network secure.
Consumers were clearly looking to antivirus vendors to help them solve this problem; 44 per cent of consumers believed antivirus vendors are responsible for securing their connected devices. The antivirus vendor was selected as the primary choice, even ahead of the device manufacturer and the ISP.