Free tool helps consumers check online security ahead of Black Friday
On this year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday, more Americans will be shopping online than ever before, but a new study reveals that the majority are concerned about the potential to have their personal and financial information hacked.
The survey from cybersecurity company UpGuard shows that almost 95 percent of consumers are concerned about the security of their information online, and more than half would break with their favorite brands if they knew their information was at risk.
Roughly 92 percent of respondents say they think consumers should be moderately to extremely concerned about cybersecurity. 74 percent report they are worried about having their own personal information stolen online, and 35 percent of people had been hacked or had their personal information stolen in the past, while 70 percent know someone who has.
The results also highlight the importance of security to a brand’s reputation. If they learned their personal information was at risk, 80 percent of respondents say they would be unlikely to continue making purchases from their favorite brand’s website. In addition 72 percent say they would be less likely to continue making purchases from a brand if it announced it had been hacked.
To help people assess their level of risk, UpGuard is launching a free Chrome extension which automatically scans every site visited and shows a cyber security risk score.
"Consumers are more aware than ever about cybersecurity risks, especially as we head into the busiest shopping season of the year," says UpGuard's co-CEO Mike Baukes. "The reality is that websites are often the easiest access points for hackers, but people unfortunately don’t know how to judge the security of a website from the outset. The goal of our newly launched (and free) tool is to empower consumers to easily understand the security of each website they visit and make the safest possible choices".
You can download the Website Risk Grader tool, from the UpGuard website.
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