IT: Up to 64% Internet Users Most Concerned About Data Breaches

Bratislava, April 13 (TASR) - As many as 64 percent of household internet users are most concerned about data breaches, with the majority considering their personal photos and videos to be of cardinal importance, while documents and contacts, which may contain sensitive information, come in second, it follows from a survey conducted by Acronis, a company specializing in cybersecurity and data protection. The findings also revealed that 25 percent of respondents had experienced data theft or loss, and another 12 percent were unsure whether a breach had occurred. Two-thirds (66 percent) of respondents regularly back up their data, while nine percent do not back up at all. Surprisingly, four percent said they don’t know what data backup means. While documents and emails containing sensitive business and personal information are generally considered highly valuable, 74 percent of domestic users rated personal photos and videos as the most important, 54 percent prioritized documents and contacts, and 33 percent valued text messages. More than two-thirds (68 percent) of users said they use strong and unique passwords, while less than half (46 percent) use two-factor authentication. In the survey, 43 percent of respondents said they use mobile security apps, while 35 percent said they were unaware of such tools — despite smartphones being a cornerstone of modern digital life. Even though over 60 percent of respondents consider data security to be "very important," only 40 percent regularly update their passwords, and nearly 70 percent continue to use public Wi-Fi networks for sensitive activities. An encouraging finding from the survey is that video-based cybersecurity education is gaining popularity — 44 percent of respondents turn to online videos to learn about best practices in security. mf/lin