Cybersecurity report reveals who consumers trust most in securing data

When it comes to securing their online data, Americans have more confidence in online marketplaces than traditional retailers.



Fifty-four percent of Americans who shop online trust online marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon, with their financial information, according to a report by Blumberg Capital. In contrast, only 33% of consumers trust established retail brands such as Walmart, Gap, Target, and Macy’s.



In other findings, 33% of consumers believe they are more secure online if they don't save their credit card information. Others choose to only use PayPal or other payment services they trust (30%).



“The Blumberg Capital 2017 State of Cybersecurity” study reveals the disconnect between American consumers' cyber-security knowledge and concerns with reality. More than half of Americans are confident they have never been a victim of cyber-hacking. But 45% reported they would not know if they had been hacked or would only know if contacted by a vendor or legal authority.



Less than half (39%) of Americans are concerned about potential hacks of their laptop computers, and 38% are concerned about their IoT devices such as smart appliances and smartphones, being potentially hacked.



If they are compromised, consumers’ most common response to a cyber-attack were to change a password (74%) and to contact the bank (46%), data revealed.



"Consumers vastly underestimate cybersecurity threats and don't know how to identify, respond or protect themselves from future attacks," said David Blumberg, founder and managing partner of Blumberg Capital. "Naiveté and arrogance are a really dangerous combination.



Confidence aside, respondents are concerned about a variety of cyber-security threats to their personal information and to U.S. businesses. Fifty-one percent (51%) said identity theft was the biggest cyber-security issue facing consumers, while 41% listed their social security number as the most important information to keep safe, followed by bank account passwords (27%), credit card numbers (22%) and personal email passwords (12%).



Fifty-five percent (55%) believe the most important cyber-security problem for businesses is securing customer information. Thirty-seven percent (37%) listed securing employee information as top priority, with 17% listing data being encrypted by hackers and held for ransom.



Meanwhile, 95% of adults expressed “some concern” about their personal information being hacked on e-commerce sites with 11% being very concerned. Gen X-ers are the most concerned with 25% reporting being "very concerned," compared to 17% of all other respondents.