With 25% of consumers expected to buy IoT devices in the next 12 months, the survey found 66% of those responding said they were‘very concerned’ or ‘highly concerned’ about potential hacking and data theft.Two thirds were also worried about whether the data collected by device manufacturers could be use inappropriately or stolen.
“With the IoT industry yet to establish common security standards, manufacturers have tended to adopt their own approach. Meanwhile, updates to ensure device security are often too technical and complex for consumers to carry out,” said BullGuard’s CEO Paul Lipman.
The survey found consumers were looking to antivirus vendors to help them solve their security problems, rather than device manufacturers or their internet provider.
Lipman added: “Consumers are not equipped to handle the myriad of security risks presented by connected devices. We’re in a rapid period of change and security needs to be easier to understand and implement. That requires better consumer education and manufacturers considering security needs much earlier on in product development.”
