A recent nCipher Security survey explored the value consumers put on their health information privacy and security. The survey had 1,300 U.S. consumers as participants and looked into their attitudes toward online personal privacy, sharing sensitive data, and data breaches.
The survey showed that consumers are more worried about the hacking of their financial data compared to their health data. Of the survey respondents that talked about their biggest cybersecurity concern, 42% said financial data theft while 14% said health data theft.
It’s understandable why there is a big concern about financial data theft as it could lead to very serious consequences. Theft of health data is also a considerable concern as consumers are still troubled by the potential effects of a breach of their personal data.
- More than 33% of consumers were concerned about the tampering of their information by hackers
- 44% were worried about identity theft following a data breach
- 22% were concerned that a connected device would be hacked jeopardizing their health
The survey investigated the major privacy and security concerns associated with the sharing of private data. The following were the concerns of the indicated percentage of respondents:
- giving SSNs or credit card numbers through the phone – 46%
- online banking – 35%
- online shopping – 34%
- downloading health files or utilizing a health device connected to the internet – 16%
A growing number of individuals are currently using personal gadgets to keep track of their movements and health.
- Only 37% of survey participants did not use an internet-connected device to record their health metrics
- 23% use smartphones for recording health metrics, 135 own internet-connected scales
- 12% use fitness trackers
- 10% have an Apple Watch or comparable device
- 19% of consumers hook up to their provider’s site to monitor and report their health data
The survey shows a lot of consumers have solid views regarding medical device security.
- 52% of respondents thought that encryption is the best way to safeguard personal information on healthcare devices against a cyberattack
- 35% of consumers believe that devices should be validated regularly to better secure privacy
- 31% of respondents believed in independent certification of medical devices
- 18% are in support of government-controlled medical devices
- 17% agree that executives, including medical device manufacturers executives, must be dismissed when personal healthcare data is compromised