Halon announced the results of its 2013 Security Survey, which revealed that the majority of Americans remain wary of cloud security. In fact, 76 percent of Americans have concerns about storing data in the cloud. Concerns about storing data in the cloud include:
- Losing files (35 percent)
- Files not stored securely (34 percent)
- Loss of control (30 percent)
- Someone gaining access to sensitive or embarrassing files (28 percent)
- Computer viruses (21 percent)
Related: "Catching Up with the Cloud Security Alliance"
Surprisingly, 25 percent of Americans say they don’t understand what the cloud is, and a number of Americans (13 percent) think companies that hold files in the cloud cannot be trusted.
As for feeling comfortable with the notion of cloud storage, 79 percent of Americans say they could eventually feel comfortable saving files in the cloud. Of those, 84 percent say there are actions to get them there, including:
- Proof of security (54 percent)
- Guarantee of security from a trusted company (44 percent)
- Better understanding of what the cloud is (41 percent)
- Knowing where files are stored (34 percent)
- Reassurance from a tech-savvy friend (14 percent)
Security concerns extend to email. Fewer than half of Americans (43 percent) say they are confident or very confident that when they receive an email, the sender is who they say they are. Fully 94 percent of Americans say there are triggers within an email that make them doubt the validity of the sender. These triggers include:
- Offer for a free device (77 percent)
- Offer for free prescription drugs (73 percent)
- Too many hyperlinks (63 percent)
- Subject line in all capital letters (50 percent)
Jonas Falck, vice president of Halon, said, “Ensuring that users fully trust the cloud and what is being sent via email starts at the hosting level, and ensuring malicious threats never reach the end user is the only solution. That’s the problem Halon is here to solve.”
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive among 2,084 adults ages 18 and older. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact the Halon Security Team.
