A new nCipher Security survey looked into the value consumers give to the privacy and security of their health information. There were 1,300 U.S. consumers who participated in the survey. The survey looked at the attitudes of consumers toward online personal privacy, sensitive data disclosure, and data breaches.
The survey results revealed that the respondents are more worried that hackers steal their financial data as opposed to their health information. With regards to the biggest security concern of respondents, 42% answered financial data theft and 14% answered health data theft.
It’s easy to understand why consumers have a big concern for financial data theft as it could have really serious repercussions. Theft of health data is likewise a considerable problem as there is the potential of a protected health information (PHI) breach.
More than 33% were worried about hackers tampering their information. 44% were worried that identity theft would follow a data breach. 22% were worried that a linked device could be hacked putting their health data at risk.
The survey explored the leading privacy and security concerns connected with the sharing of private information. These are the list of concerns with the corresponding percentage of respondents:
- 46% – sharing of SSNs or credit card numbers via phon
- 35% – internet banking
- 34% – shopping online
- 16% – downloading medical records or accessing a health device linked to a network
The individuals presently using personal devices to track the progress of their movements and health are growing in number. Only 37% of study respondents have not used internet-linked device to track their health measurements. 23% have smartphones for documenting health metrics and 135 have their own internet-linked scales. 12% have fitness trackers, 10% own an Apple Watch or matching device and 19% link to their provider’s website to check and record their health information.
The study shows a great deal of consumers have strong opinions about healthcare device security.
- 52% of respondents considered encryption as a good way to protect personal information in case a cyberattack impacts healthcare devices
- 35% of consumers think that devices must be checked regularly to ensure privacy
- 31% of participants agree to independent certification of healthcare devices
- 18% agree to government-controlled healthcare devices
- 17% concur that executives, as well as medical device company executives, should be laid off when personal medical data is exposed