, a global leader in IT security, today released the findings of its survey on consumer attitudes and actions toward the cybersecurity and privacy of the connected home. The survey was held to support the 16th annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. ESET polled 4,000 consumers (2,000 Americans and 2,000 Canadians) in order to understand what people are doing to protect themselves from the risk of compromised smart home devices, such as internet-connected TVs, smart thermostats, home assistants and more.
Key findings of ESET’s survey include:
- Over a third of all respondents indicated (smart TVs, smart thermostats etc.). 35% of Americans and 37% of Canadians indicated so in our survey.
- When purchasing a smart home device, . Only 20% of American respondents and 29% of Canadian respondents indicated they do any of this type of research before purchasing a device.
- Most Americans and Canadians indicated . 57% of Americans and 61% of Canadians indicated so in our survey.
- A plurality of Canadians . . 42% of Canadian respondents turn off features they do not use that collect data. 61% of Americans do not turn off these types of features or do not know.
The full results are published .
“It’s clear that there is a disconnect for consumers when it comes to the privacy and cybersecurity of their connected home devices,” said Tony Anscombe, global security evangelist and industry ambassador. “We’ve found that about a third of respondents in both Canada and the U.S. are concerned about the privacy of these devices, but those same respondents told us that only about one in five consumers does any research ahead of time on the data practices of their devices. Those numbers do not add up.”
“To stay safe and secure online, we recommend setting strong and unique passwords for your devices, using two-factor authentication wherever possible, and conducting basic research about the data policies and practices of the devices you are using before you purchase them,” continued Anscombe. “Only buy devices from reputable manufacturers. Five minutes of research before you open your wallet could save you hours of time down the road in dealing with a data breach or an invasion of your privacy.”
The ESET and NCSA Privacy Survey was conducted September 10-15, 2019, via Google Consumer Surveys. ESET and NCSA polled 4,000 consumers (2,000 Americans and 2,000 Canadians) in four separate surveys of 1,000 consumers each. The surveys have a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.
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