People care more about hacker attacks than break-ins

People feel more violated when someone hacks into their computer, than when someone breaks into their house, a new research has shown.

The research, done by American multinational software Citrix, polled 2,000 full-time workers in the UK about hacking and private files they keep on their computers. The poll shows that 48 percent of young people, aged 16 to 24 have more than one private file on their computers which they want to remain secret.

Almost half (45 percent) would feel more violated by the thought of someone hacking in and stealing their personal information and files than a stranger breaking into their home.

"The fact that younger generations are willing to store a large amount of personal, and often secret, data online could cause severe security concerns around sensitive corporate data as this age group enters the workplace over the coming years", the follow-up press release states.

Older users are not so keen on putting sensitive data online -- among those aged 55 and above, only 16 percent would do so.

The increasing awareness around the risks and consequences of data theft is more acute in London than any other region, with more Londoners (49 percent) finding data theft a more serious concern than somebody breaking into their home (44 percent).

The research also revealed that one in four (25 percent) of 16 to 24-year-olds keep all of their passwords in one file on their computer or mobile device. As a result, just one instance of data theft could in fact make all of their accounts and folders vulnerable to attackers.

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