Intel Security Survey Reveals only 42% of Consumers Take Proper Security Measures

In the kind of Christmas news that hackers would love to hear, Intel Security’s latest McAfee Most Hackable Holiday Gifts report declares that less than half of all consumers who receive new gadgets take proper security measures upon receiving the item.  Topping the list are laptops and PCs, followed closely by tablets and smartphones.

Gary Davis, Chief Consumer Security Evangelist at Intel Security opines that “Unsurprisingly, connected devices remain high on holiday wish lists this year. What is alarming is that consumers remain unaware of what behaviors pose a security risk when it comes to new devices”.  The report further concludes that while most are aware of hacking risks when it comes to connected devices, most are unaware of the vulnerabilities in other connected gadgets especially drones, children’s toys, virtual reality gadgets and even pet gifts.

In the survey, 52 percent of holiday shoppers queried plan to buy a smartphone or tablet but are unaware of security concerns when connecting to public networks. Drones sales are also in a continuous trend upward, projected to reach $20 billion by 2022 but the embedded GPS signal and increasing mobile integration poses further security risk that many are not aware of.

One of the main tips that Intel suggests, is to keep the device software updated to the latest version to combat any potential malware from entering. The use of secure and trusted Wi-Fi is also highly recommended and installing a security software for protection is a necessity if regularly connecting in public. Those who perform banking and retail transactions with their devices are also advised to only do so when connected to a secure Wi-Fi connection such as at home. As always, a strong and secure pin number is an essential that many overlook. Added protection schemes such as facial recognition, finger print and other multi-factor authentication schemes are also highly recommended by Intel Security.