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Internet users experiencing online security 'fatigue'

by Josef Kafka

In the last two years, cyber attacks in the UK have proliferated, with the government revealing last year that up to two-thirds of big businesses in this country experienced some form of attempt to infiltrate their systems and steal data in the preceding 12 months. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36239805]

Among the most notable cases include the November 2016 hacking of Tesco bank, where criminals made off with £2.5m from the current accounts of 9,000 customers and a compromise of the National Lottery’s system, which led operator Camelot to advise customers to change passwords. It seems that no industry is safe: Three Mobile, British Airways and Dropbox have all relinquished data to online criminals in the recent past.

In 2016, the government announced that it would spend £1.9bn over the next five years in an attempt to clamp down on cyber crime, but will this have any effect? A study conducted recently suggests not…

User fatigue

Despite the very evident threat, the increasing amount of advice being given to companies and the aforementioned government funding increase, attitudes need to change if businesses are to make any strides against cyber criminals. Many internet users are experiencing what experts call ‘user fatigue’, ignoring recommendations and continuing to practise ‘unsafe’ online browsing, according to research conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). [http://www.information-age.com/vpn-maintaining-corporate-privacy-123464675/]

One example of user fatigue can be identified in the most basic of online security requirements: the password. With a login required for work accounts, email and online banking, as well as ‘less important’ sites such as for online shopping, surely it’s no wonder that advice to use a different password for every account is being ignored by users?

Research Mary Theofanos said: “Years ago, you had one password to keep up with at work. Now people are being asked to remember 25 or 30. We haven’t really thought about cyber security expanding and what it has done to people.”

In the study conducted by NIST [https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2016/10/security-fatigue-can-cause-computer-users-feel-hopeless-and-act-recklessly], many users deployed the same password across multiple sites, or used simple, easy to remember combinations of letters and numbers, such as ‘ABC123’ or ‘123456’.

One user interviewed by NIST voiced her frustration with the apparent need to jump through hoops just to access online accounts: “I get tired of remembering my username and passwords. I never remember the PIN numbers, there are too many things for me to remember. It is frustrating to have to remember this useless information.”

Another said: “It bothers me when I have to go through more additional security measures to access my things, or get locked out of my own account because I forgot as I accidentally typed in my password incorrectly.”

It’s clear that this frustration has led many to simply ignore expert advice on cyber security.

“If they can’t look after my information, why should I?”

Some of those canvassed had a laissez-faire attitude to the possibility of an attack, wondering what hackers could possibly gain from targeting them. Their view was that they didn’t know anyone else who had been hacked, so it was unlikely to happen to them.

Others believed that data safeguarding was up to the company they were registering their data with, rather than themselves.

Many questioned these institutions, citing the high-profile hacks experienced by banks such as Lloyds, Tesco and RBS as evidence that the biggest companies aren’t taking data protection seriously enough.

How can we overcome user fatigue?

The attitudes highlighted above reveal a worrying trend. With security breaches happening in greater volume than ever before, users cannot afford to be apathetic with personal or business data. But what can be done to avoid adding to the mountain of information and advice already available?

Some simple tips include:

• Protection software – across all devices – is a must to provide even the most basic level of security.

• Those with difficulty remembering multiple passwords should use a password manager, rather than writing them down or just using a single, easy-to-remember login.

• Businesses should educate their staff on security issues – this is especially important if employees work on their own devices or regularly access business accounts away from work.

However, NIST made the following recommendations based on their data:

• Reduce the number of security decisions which have to be made by an individual user

• Make actions simpler to achieve

• Design for consistent decision making whenever possible.

At 1st Call Detectives, we put your privacy and security on a pedestal, as can be seen with the encryption certificate we proudly display on our site. For more advice on how you can safeguard your data online, or to enquire about our other services, get in touch with us today.

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