Many of us are giving up on cybersecurity best practices

New research from Thales shows how consumers are really slacking when it comes to basic cybersecurity measures, putting individuals and businesses at risk.

The study of more than 2,000 UK citizens addresses some of the failings on behalf of both consumers and companies, highlighting some key areas that are in need of attention.

Headlining the report is that almost half (47%) of Brits confess to having signed T&Cs without reading them properly, risking their online safety and privacy.

We can’t even keep up with basic cybersecurity, says report

According to Thales, consumers are finding that terms and conditions pages are too complex to digest. More than half (57%) expressed concerns over intentionally used convoluted language designed to obscure key information about personal data usage, while many others struggle with the sheer length of some agreements.

This simple blunder can have considerable consequences later on down the line. For example, more than one-fifth have no clue about the significance of where in the world their data is stored, and another one-fifth have zero concern over where companies store their personal data.

Other basic errors that many of us seem to be making include accepting unnecessary cookies and not using additional account protection like two-factor authentication (2FA).

Thales EMEA Technical Director Chris Harris said that the problem isn’t a lack of awareness, but rather the sense of being overwhelmed. Shifting the blame away from consumers, Harris said:

“Companies need to take this into consideration and factor into how they communicate with customers around how to keep their data safe.”