Three in Five Internet Users Feel Vulnerable to Being Hacked; Yet Most Still Engage in Risky Behaviors Online

New Survey Commissioned By Dashlane Reveals Internet Users Want a Safe Way to Store Personal Online Information

NEW YORK – August 2, 2012 – In the wake of major consumer website hackings, three of five U.S. adults who are online say they feel that they might be vulnerable to being hacked for their online accounts. Savvy Internet users have reason to be wary when it comes to using or storing private, personal information online. In recent weeks, major consumer websites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, and more have all been hacked, compromising millions of users’ passwords and the data these were intended to protect. And since 62 percent of online adults reuse the same password for more than one of their online accounts, one hacking is likely to compromise all of their data online.

This kind of risky behavior is all too common. Just this week, Dropbox, entrusted by millions to store important files and data, admitted they had suffered a security breach caused by both users and their own employees using the same passwords for all multiple web accounts.

The survey, commissioned by Dashlane and conducted online by Harris Interactive in June among 2,208 U.S. adults, revealed that the majority of online adults are not comfortable storing personal data online: 88 percent are at least somewhat concerned that their personal online data is being used without their knowledge, with 59 percent being extremely concerned by this.

Password Problems & Other Risky Behavior

Despite concerns over exposed information, online Americans seem unsure of how to go about protecting it. Even though three of five say they feel that they might be vulnerable to being hacked, these same people nevertheless engage in risky behaviors. For instance, of these concerned people, 69 percent use the same passwords for more than one of their online accounts; half of them don’t change their online account passwords regularly; and 64 percent of them store their credit card information and other personal data on some websites for convenience.

Searching For a Solution

While U.S. adults are aware that it is unsafe to store sensitive data on websites—for instance, 48 percent of online adults are concerned or extremely concerned that many websites store records of their credit card information and other personal data—a near-equivalent number of online adults (45 percent) say they are not sure of the best way to keep their online passwords and personal data safe.

“This poll shows that people are aware of the threat of online hacking, but it also shows that people are eager for a practical solution to this universal dilemma,” said Dashlane CEO Emmanuel Schalit. “Internet users should not have to choose between convenience and security—indeed they can and should have both.”

Schalit’s company is behind the eponymous app Dashlane whose proprietary technology allows people to manage all their personal data—from passwords to payment info and IDs—and then enter them into any form automatically, across all devices and browsers. Dashlane’s Security Dashboard and Password Generator features even gauge users’ security online, and generate super-secure, unique passwords for each web account. Importantly, all users’ personal information is locally encrypted on their devices, and accessible only to the user; not even Dashlane can access it. With Dashlane, users can store all their personal data in one place only they can access, removing the need to store information on various websites for convenience.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Dashlane. from June 25–27, 2012 among 2,208 adults age 18+. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Daniela Perdomo at daniela@dashlane.com.

 
About Dashlane
Dashlane is a cutting-edge technology company based in New York City that enables instant checkouts and logins universally across the web while maintaining military grade security and total consumer privacy. Their disruptive mobile and desktop apps allow consumers to login, register for websites and make purchases with the ultimate convenience of never having to fill out any forms anywhere, and with the assurance that their sensitive data is completely secure and private.
Official Website | @Dashlane
 
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client’s research investment. Serving clients in more than 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us—and our clients—stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit

Official Website


Media Contact

Joe Ziemer, TriplePoint for Dashlane
joe@triplepointpr.com