Contactless service options cause us to prioritize convenience over cybersecurity. Charles Henderson the Global Managing Partner and Head of X-Force at IBM, talks about how consumer habits have shifted due to the pandemic and what you can do to keep your personal information safe.
IBM recently released the results of a global study with Morning Consult, surveying the online security habits of consumer around the world over the past year and highlighting how the pandemic will have lingering security side effects. According to the global survey, while this digital shift provided benefits to both businesses and consumers, organizations must now consider the impact of these habits on their cybersecurity strategy and risk profile. Based on the results, IBM Security identified the following effects of shifting consumer behaviors on the cybersecurity landscape:
- Digital Boom will Outlast Pandemic Protocols: Individuals created an average of 15 new online accounts during the pandemic, equating to billions of new accounts created around world. As 44% said they do not plan to delete or deactivate any of the new accounts they created once society returns to pre-pandemic norms, consumers increased digital footprint will remain for the foreseeable future.
- Account Overload Leads to Password Fatigue: Digital account surge may be leading to lax password behaviors, with 82% of respondents admitting to reusing credentials at least some of the time. This implies that the majority of new accounts created during the pandemic likely relied on reused email and password combinations, which could have been exposed other data breaches over the past few years.
- Convenience Outweighs Security & Privacy – particularly for younger generations. More than half (51%) millennials would rather place an order using a potentially insecure app or website vs. call or go to a physical location in person. With users more likely to overlook security concerns for the convenience of digital ordering, the burden of security falls more heavily on the companies providing these services.
