Study Reveals Importance of Conspicuous Security on Websites

Monday, March 4, 2019 - 10:11 by Simon Crisp

A survey from Real Business has found that most people look for the websites they use to be protected from cyber-security issues in an unambiguous way.

Analysts asked respondents if they understood a warning issued by Google last year which was designed to raise awareness about the fact that it was no longer safe to use any sites which did not make use of the HTTPS protocol but instead stuck with the older HTTP standard, which is far easier to compromise.

47 per cent of those questioned said that they were moderately confident in being able to explain why this was relevant, while a similar proportion said that if they encountered a site which seemed to be lacking in terms of security, they would not pass on their private information. Over two-thirds of this more cautious group said that they would immediately stop using any site which showed signs of being below par with its protective measures.

The report also delved into the power of brand recognition as a means of convincing consumers to overlook security issues. 23 per cent of people said that if a brand they trusted was revealed to be behind the curve when it comes to security, they would be quicker to doubt the research rather than believe that this was the truth.

Consumers are regularly reminded to keep their guard up and remain suspicious of any new site they visit if they want to enjoy a breach-free experience and carry out safe shopping online at all times. However, since cybercriminals tend to leverage well-known brands to run their scams, this revelation about the power that well-known names wield over decision-making should be seen as very troubling and might suggest that further education is required to overcome it.