Consumers Fear Bank Account, Credit Card Hacks

People are most fearful of their credit cards or bank statements being hacked, with 78 percent of Americans and Germans ranking it a top online security concern, according to a study by security specialist Centrify.

That number is even higher in the UK, where 85 percent of residents rank credit card and bank data as their biggest hack concern.

Respondents to the survey, which polled 2,400 people across the United States, U.K. and Germany, also indicated they were willing to invest time in completing security tasks if it makes them safer.

More than half of all Germans (52 percent) expressed a willingness to spend at least 10 minutes on security measures, followed by 46 percent in the United States and 30 percent in the U.K.

The study also found that frequent password changes are more common among those who have had their personal info hacked in the past and those who tend to do more online shopping.

More than half of American and two-thirds of UK respondents said they do most or all of their banking online, and about one-third do most or all of their shopping online, according to the study.

The survey also revealed that, despite the growing media spotlight on high-profile hacks, most consumers have poor password habits and do not take adequate precaution to protect their personal information.

Just one-quarter of Americans change their passwords at least once a month—more than in any other country.

However, one-quarter of Americans—and one-third of consumers in the UK and Germany—change their passwords once a year, less or never.

The study also found that when personal information is hacked, consumers do not always hear directly from the targeted business or organization that holds their data.

Around half of respondents in each country who were victims of a hack said they heard about the hack via the news, and the results indicated younger adults are more likely to hear about such hacks from social media.

The study also found that consumers are very concerned about their financial investment information falling prey to hackers, with 58 percent in the United States, 56 percent in the UK and 43 percent in Germany citing it as a top concern.

That was followed by health and medical records, with 46 percent in the United States, 45 percent in the UK and 48 percent in Germany saying they are most fearful of this information being hacked.

By contrast, consumers are less worried about their family information falling into the hands of hackers, with just 44 percent in the United States, 41 percent in the UK and 43 percent in Germany citing this as a top concern.