Many consumers believe a breach of their personal data held by a retailer or a government agency is likely to take place within the next year, according to the 2015 Unisys Security Insights survey.

The 2015 Unisys Security Insights survey, conducted by the Blue Bell, Penn.-based Unisys Corp. and the Great Neck, N.Y.-based research firm Lieberman, indicate retail and government agencies are the top two industries that concern consumers the most.

Unisys security experts said that several recent, highly-publicized cyberattacks have increased concern among consumers about the safety of their personal data held by various organizations, especially those in the retail sector, where breaches have hit consumers most directly. The survey results may also reflect concerns about the country's general readiness to combat cyber threats, Unisys experts said.

The study, based on an online survey of 1,016 persons ages 18 and over and conducted between April 17 and 19, 2015, polled consumers in 12 countries about data security and confidence relating to seven different industries, including the airline, healthcare, retail, telecom, banking and utilities sectors.

In regard to retail, 44% said they believe a breach is likely, with just 19% not expecting a retail security episode to affect their personal data.

Government agencies didn't fare much better with consumers, as 39% said a breach is likely and 29% are more optimistic it won't happen.

Among demographic profiles, concerns of a data breach are most evident across older, middle-aged respondents (ages 50-64).

U.S. respondents had the lowest overall level of concern about likely security breaches among the 12 countries surveyed. For example, nearly twice the percentage of respondents in the Netherlands and Germany thought a breach of their personal data was likely than their counterparts in the U.S. did.

U.S. respondents also conveyed higher confidence in the ability of financial institutions and healthcare organizations to protect personal data. Only 24% of respondents said a breach of their personal data held by a bank was likely in the next year, with 44% saying such a breach was unlikely. For healthcare organizations, only 28% said a breach was likely, and 41% thought it was unlikely.

“Organizations that hold consumers' personal data have a major challenge maintaining public confidence that they safely protect private information,” Dave Frymier, vice president and chief information security officer at Unisys, said. “While hackers will always find their way into an organization's network, enterprises can protect high-value data through basic precautions like patching and sharing threat intelligence, as well as using advanced security technologies like micro-segmentation.”

In addition, 38% of American respondents in the survey said they endorse biometrics to increase their level of smartphone cybersecurity.

Biometric techniques such as voice, signature and facial recognition allow for advanced authentication, and leverage.

“The age of biometrics is really just beginning in our view,” Jay Meier, vice president of corporate development at the Wall, N.J.-based BIO-key, said. “The failure of passwords and other user credentials to protect personal or financial data as well network access and data security is forcing companies and governments to look at better solutions to solve these challenges.”

Instant Insights /

Consumers Fear Retailer, Government Agency Breaches

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