Half of Americans Discouraged from Purchasing IoT Devices Due to Cybersecurity Concerns

SAN DIEGO, CA -- In support of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, IT security firm ESET in collaboration with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) released a survey today that reveals Americans have real concerns about the security and privacy of connected devices and the "Internet of Things" (IoT). The survey measured people's perspectives and concerns about cybersecurity as it relates to connected items in our lives, such as routers, webcams and IoT devices.

The survey titled "Our Increasingly Connected Digital Lives" reveals that more than 40 percent of Americans are not confident that IoT devices are safe and secure, with more than half of people indicating they were discouraged from purchasing an IoT device due to cybersecurity concerns.

With routers being the hub in the home that data flows through, the majority of people surveyed have not taken some basic precautions; only half of respondents indicated they had changed their home router password from its default setting. Twenty-nine percent of people had 4-7 devices connected to their home router (with an additional 15 percent not knowing how many devices were connected).

For the full survey results, visit: https://www.eset.com/us/resources/detail/survey-internet-of-stranger-things  

For more information on NCSA, visit http://www.staysafeonline.org/about-us/overview