14 DAY TRIAL // A study conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Impermium, a company that specializes in protecting online accounts against cybercriminals, shows that most Americans are still not using two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect their accounts, despite the large number of recent incidents.
According to the report, 79% of respondents have said that they’re worried about their email accounts being compromised. 71% are concerned about bank account compromise and 55% about social media compromise.
However, 75% of those who took part in the study have never used 2FA to protect their online accounts.
27% of them say 2FA is either inconvenient, or they simply don’t want to disclose their mobile phone number.
When it comes to their accounts being hijacked, 39% of respondents blame the website for not offering and maintaining sufficient security features. Only 37% blame weak passwords or falling victim to phishing scams.
Over half of respondents admitted to falling victim to a virus or malware attack. 37% of users have been a victim of a phishing attack, 26% have had their accounts compromised, and 20% have had their social media credentials stolen.
Cybercrimes that involve mobile phones are also starting to show up in cybercrime statistics. 5% of those who took part in Impermium’s study admitted that the theft or loss of their phone resulted in unwanted access to sensitive information.
“Despite heightened awareness of cyber threats and a clear demand for account protection, Americans are still hesitant to adopt new prevention techniques,” Mark Risher, CEO of Impermium, commented on the findings of the study.
“Two-factor authentication has been held aloft as a ‘silver bullet,’ but a security system that isn’t turned on provides no security. Only with intelligent, risk-based authentication mechanisms can service providers effectively protect users from account hijacking. Consumers and websites need an intelligent solution that is secure yet simple.”