TL;DR: Leading hardware authentication security key provider, Yubico, has unveiled insights from their 2023 survey, conducted by OnePoll. The study delves into consumer attitudes towards cybersecurity in the US and UK, with a focus on age demographics. Notably, it highlights concerns over password reuse, trust in online retailers, and adoption of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
In a growing era of sophisticated phishing attacks, have people adjusted their cybersecurity hygiene?
Yubico, a leading provider of hardware authentication security keys, has released findings from their 2023 survey, conducted by OnePoll, which aimed to gauge consumer attitudes and behaviors towards cybersecurity. The survey encompassed 2,000 respondents in the US and UK.
Concerns on Cybersecurity vs. Password Reuse
While 80% of respondents expressed concerns about cybersecurity for their online accounts, 39% admitted to reusing passwords across multiple accounts. Notably, Boomers showed a lower tendency to reuse passwords (20%) compared to Millennials (47%).
Trust in Online Retailers and Information Security
Despite reservations about online retailers, a significant portion (32%) lacked confidence in identifying fraudulent or fake online retailers. Additionally, one in three respondents did not fully trust websites to protect their personal and credit card information. Surprisingly, 33% of respondents saved their credit card details in their online accounts.
Age Demographics and Online Privacy Practices
The study revealed that Boomers exhibited a greater level of mistrust towards websites compared to Millennials. This led to potentially better online privacy practices, with only 19% of Boomers saving credit card information in their online accounts, as opposed to 37% of Millennials.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Adoption
Despite overarching concerns about cybersecurity, nearly half (49%) of respondents did not utilize MFA, lacked knowledge about it, or were unsure if it was enabled. Interestingly, Boomers, who generally displayed better cybersecurity hygiene, reported a high percentage (71%) of not using or being unsure about MFA. In contrast, Millennials demonstrated a better understanding of modern security offerings, with only 52% unsure about their MFA status.
Ben Eichorst, director of infrastructure security at Yubico, emphasized the need for consumers to review and enhance their online security practices, particularly with the upcoming surge in online shopping. He advised creating unique credentials stored in trusted password managers and upgrading login methods to utilize strong, phishing-resistant, multi-factor authentication solutions like the YubiKey.
