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Unisys Security Index: Most Americans worry about data breaches

June 5, 2013

A new study by IT technology provider Unisys indicates that the majority of Americans worry about data breaches at large organizations. But they're not all on the same page on whether it should be mandatory for companies to report breaches to the government.

Results from the annual Unisys Security Index, which included more than 1,000 U.S. respondents, showed that consumers were most worried about data breaches at their financial institutions, with two-thirds (67 percent) reporting concern.

Other major worries included data breaches involving government agencies (62 percent), health organizations (60 percent) and telecommunications and Internet service providers (59 percent).

Respondents also expressed concern about identity theft (83 percent) and credit card fraud (82 percent), both of which can result from breaches at large organizations. On the question of whether Congress should pass legislation mandating companies to report data breaches to the U.S. government, roughly half (48 percent) of respondents opposed the idea, but a similar proportion (46 percent) favored it.

"Americans clearly see a need for stronger methods to prevent cyberattacks, and many see a natural role for government in that process, but they differ on precisely how government and the private sector should interact in that regard," said Steve Vinsik, vice president of enterprise security for Unisys. "[B]usinesses and government agencies need to realize that the costs of breaches far outweigh those of prevention — and that Americans are paying close attention."

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