Do You Have Data Breach Fatigue?

Last week we discussed some of the results from our survey, conducted by Harris Interactive. We asked 2,030 U.S. consumers about their password habits and found that most consumers really have no system to manage their online account information other than memory or pen and paper.

This week we released part two of our survey results and took a look at “data breach fatigue.” So what is data breach fatigue and how do you know if you have it?

Nowadays, most consumers can’t turn on the news, read their favorite news site or scroll through their social media feeds without learning about a major data breach. It’s become such a common occurrence that many consumers just shrug their shoulders when they hear about the next incident.

Does this sound familiar? Then it’s possible you’ve succumbed to this laissez-faire mindset.

Our survey found that 81 percent of consumers agree that this increased frequency in data breaches has made them less confident in companies’ ability to keep their digital identity safe. However, only 13 percent of consumers changed all of their passwords after hearing news of recent online breaches—demonstrating the data breach fatigue that has set in.

What about that other 87 percent of consumers who did not change their passwords? Their reasons for failing to do so are varied. Most commonly, consumers report that they only change their passwords when it is required (40 percent) or that they feel their passwords are strong and secure enough (37 percent). A sizable portion of consumers also report that it’s too much of a hassle to remember new passwords (21 percent), they forget new passwords after they create them (14 percent), or it takes too much time (11 percent). You can get a full breakdown of the data we uncovered in our press release, where we’ve broken it down by age, gender and education.

And if you’re one of that 81 percent who feels less confident in companies’ ability to keep your digital identity safe, take the first steps toward taking back control of your own security by downloading CyberFOX for free today.

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