Cybersecurity awareness is high, but consumer apathy may be higher
While consumer apathy may be high, their support for services that can protect their personal data is just as high.
It seems that every time we survey consumers, their concerns and worries around identity theft only increase, and who can blame them given the fact that each new year seems to set a record when it comes to data breaches. What is always surprising, however, is the sheer number of consumers who indicate that they don’t fully understand how to proactively protect themselves. In fact, less than 20% of consumers in our recent Cyber Barometer regularly updated their credentials. The U.S. had the highest number of respondents who regularly updated their passwords, at a still worrisome 37%.
The Barometer found that 91% of Americans and 81% of Europeans surveyed indicated that they consider an attack against their personal data as “very stressful.” Furthermore, 47% of respondents to the global survey indicated that they are very worried about becoming a victim of identity theft; this increases to 49% when it came to respondents with elderly parents and 54% for respondents with children. In fact, respondents now say that becoming a victim of identity theft is a bigger worry than a car accident — which should be a sign to insurers that they should take identity protection services just as seriously as they do their car insurance offerings.
This high level of stress and worry amongst respondents is potentially driven by the fact that 39% of Americans and 26% of Europeans indicated that they knew someone who has been the victim of an attack on their personal data. This isn’t surprising given the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse findings that there have been 9,033 data breaches that were made public since 2005 — averaging out to almost two breaches a day. Instead of spurring people to take proactive action, is the regular announcement of new data breaches actually putting people into a state of apathy?
Related: Study and adapt: 2018′s top four cybersecurity breaches
More action is needed
We can see proof of this apathy in the 63% of Americans who don’t regularly update their credentials. Furthermore, 22% of respondents in a recent RAND survey indicated that they took no action after a breach. While 88% of respondents are taking the right steps and protecting themselves on their computers by using an anti-virus/anti-malware solution, only half had similar protections on their mobile devices and tablets — devices which account for more than 50% of the world’s web traffic.
This apathy may be compounded by the fact that consumers don’t seem to trust the organizations that hold their personal information. Forty-eight percent of respondents indicated that they felt companies and institutions did not do enough to protect them. Furthermore, 44% of respondents felt that they lacked control over their information and a similar number (45%) indicated that they wouldn’t know what to do if their personal information was compromised.
Related: You’ve been hacked. Now what?
A prime opportunity for insurance providers
While consumer apathy may be high, their support for services that can protect their personal data is just as high. For example, 64% of Americans indicated that they had a positive opinion of cybersecurity services. Nearly half of the respondents surveyed globally said they would have an interest in digital protection services, with high levels of interest in Romania, Italy, Spain and the United States.
This can prove a prime opportunity for insurance providers who are already seen as a trusted source that consumers would consider purchasing these services. For instance, 37% of respondents to the global survey said they would strongly consider the possibility of a trusted third party (e.g. bank or insurance company) to automatically create a list of their data to be protected instead of setting it up themselves manually. This is great news for insurance providers as 46% of consumers indicated that they would like to purchase their identity theft solution from their insurance company, according to Generali Global Assistance data.
While almost 91% of Americans surveyed indicated that they considered an attack on their identity as “very stressful”, only one-third of them take basic proactive steps to protect themselves against it. It is often difficult for consumers to fully protect themselves from any situation that may arise, but this is precisely why the insurance and assistance industries exist, to provide that comforting hand to consumers during their most difficult of times. So it’s prudent for insurers to look at how to best serve their customers in the digital age, as consumers are often looking for the guidance of a trusted advisor.
Related: How to assess your clients’ cybersecurity risks
Paige Schaffer is the president and chief operating officer of Generali Global Assistance identity and digital protection services global unit. She can be reached at idpmarketing@us.generaliglobalassistance.com.