Americans less concerned about Internet security

Americans are more concerned about national security and financial security than Internet security and the security of their personal information, according to a report published May 9. Still, Americans are looking to the government to protect the nation's "key assets" from cyberattacks, finds the report.

Only 39 percent of Americans in a recent survey say they're "seriously concerned" about computer security in relation to viruses or spam, finds the Unisys Security Index, which reports on findings from the first half of 2012. This figure represents a significant drop from the 48 percent who were "seriously concerned" about viruses and spam this time last year. The survey polled 1,005 adults in the United States and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

The number of people seriously concerned about identity theft also decreased year over year. Fifty-nine percent said they were seriously concerned about identity theft, compared to 70 percent of those surveyed in the first half of 2011. 

Despite the fact that levels of concern around Internet security and protecting personally identifiable information rank lower than national and financial security, many respondents considered cybersecurity issues important when it comes to the upcoming presidential election.

Seventy-four percent said it was "very important" for presidential candidates to protect government networks against hackers and cyber criminals. What's more, 73 percent said protecting critical infrastructure against computer or terrorist attacks was a "very important" presidential priority, but only 68 percent said "homeland security issues such as terrorism" were a priority.

For more:
- see the Unisys report page (registration required for full report)
- see the press release

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