Acronis 2025 Data Privacy Survey: A Mixed Bag of Cybersecurity Practices

Acronis’s 2025 Data Privacy survey paints a complex picture of consumer cybersecurity practices. While awareness of data privacy risks is high, actual protective behaviors often fall short. The survey, based on responses from nearly 2,500 consumers across eight countries, highlights several key findings:

Awareness vs. Action:

  • Data Breach Concerns: A significant majority (64%) of respondents identified data breaches as their top concern regarding data privacy. This demonstrates a strong awareness of the risks.
  • Backup Practices: Only about one-third of respondents back up their data regularly, indicating a significant gap between understanding the importance of backups and actually performing them. A surprising 4% didn’t even know what data backup means.
  • Password Security: While most (68%) use strong, unique passwords, adoption of two-factor authentication (2FA), a crucial security measure, is considerably lower (46%).
  • Mobile Security: Awareness and adoption of mobile security measures are particularly low, with only 43% of respondents using mobile security applications. A concerning 35% reported unfamiliarity with mobile security solutions.

Cybersecurity Software Usage and Challenges:

  • Antivirus Reliance: Many consumers rely heavily on antivirus software, often neglecting other essential security tools like firewalls and password managers.
  • Complexity and Usability: A significant portion (almost 30%) of respondents found cybersecurity tools difficult to set up or manage. False positives were also a common complaint (26%).

Other Key Findings:

  • Phishing and Malware: Phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks affected roughly 20% of respondents each, highlighting the prevalence of these threats.
  • Data Loss and Theft: A substantial number of respondents (25%) reported being victims of data breaches, indicating a significant real-world impact of these cyber threats.

Conclusion:

The Acronis 2025 Data Privacy survey underscores the need for continued education and improved cybersecurity practices among consumers. While awareness of threats is high, a significant gap exists between understanding the risks and taking effective protective measures. The survey highlights the need for simpler, more user-friendly security tools and increased emphasis on mobile security.

You may read the full report by clicking on this link – Data privacy in 2025: A survey to explore consumer views on cyber protection | Acronis Resource Center

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.