BT email addresses most vulnerable to data breaches

UK consumers that hold an email address with BT have suffered more data breaches than those holding Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail addresses. This is according to a new report by global cybersecurity company DynaRisk.

Scanning more than 750,000 emails throughout last year, DynaRisk says consumers in the UK suffered more security breaches than those in New Zealand, Canada and most of Europe. Three in five UK consumers were victims of a data breach.

However, analysing more than 1200 users, DynaRisk says the average Cyber Security Score of consumers (something like a credit score) in the UK rose by 26 per cent in the last 12 months.

The data suggests UK consumers are “taking more steps” to stay safe online, and also that the average UK consumer is more security-wary than those in the US or anywhere else in Europe.

“It’s encouraging to see that the average score in the UK is now so high (800) and has increased by so much from this time last year,” said Andrew Martin, CEO, DynaRisk.

“Consumers are clearly becoming more aware and more protective of their online information in the UK; and getting better at arming themselves against an ever-increasing number of cyber threats."

Even though the numbers are promising, Martin says there’s still plenty of room for improvement, and that consumers should always be cautious when signing up to different services with their email address.

“Constant investment and training needs to be put in place by all companies to ensure customer information is as safe as it can be,” he said.

source itproportal

Industry: Cyber Security