One in five Brits has fallen victim to cybercrime in the last year, with a similar proportion having had their bank details stolen and used to make purchases
One in five (22 per cent) Brits has fallen victim to cybercrime in the last year, according to a survey released today by security software company Norton by Symantec.
The survey of more than 1,000 UK consumers also found that 44 per cent of people had suffered a cybersecurity incident at some point in their life.
“We no longer need convincing of the risks,” said Nick Shaw, EMEA general manager, Norton Business Unit. “Our findings demonstrate that people’s trust in online activity has been rattled, yet there still is not widespread adoption of simple protection measures that people should take to safeguard their information online.”
Another report released today by Deloitte discovered that 21 per cent of UK consumers had seen their details stolen as part of a cybersecurity breach and their bank accounts used to buy goods or services.
The professional services firm also found that three-quarters (73 per cent) would reconsider using a company if it failed to keep their information secure.
“Consumer-facing businesses, particularly those that hold a lot of data, are particularly attractive targets for cyber criminals and fraudsters looking to profit from stealing personal information,” remarked Simon Borwick, director in the cyber risk services team at Deloitte. “Many organisations are struggling to prepare themselves to deal with the wide range of different cyber attacks. Cyber security has moved beyond simply being an IT issue; it is now a business-wide risk which requires immediate attention at the highest level.”
And Ben Perkins, head of consumer business research at Deloitte, added: “As we enter the height of the online retail season, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday set to break more records, consumers must remain vigilant and technologically-savvy when it comes to protecting their personal information online.”