Cyber incidents push consumers to sever ties with brands

Data breaches and other cybersecurity incidents would prompt 75% of U.S. consumers to remove their support for impacted brands and organizations, while 66% said they would no longer entrust their data to breach-hit companies, indicating the importance of cybersecurity in maintaining brand trust, according to Cybernews. Inadequate security measures have been cited by 44% of consumers as the cause of corporate cyber incidents although consumers were more lenient toward smaller organizations compromised by cyberattacks, a Vercara study revealed. While the findings also showed a lack of consumer awareness regarding their role in ensuring cybersecurity, organizations have been urged to strengthen their security measures, primarily with a focus on their employees, who are most vulnerable to social engineering attacks, said Vercara CEO Colin Doherty. "It's important to run regular awareness and training sessions not just for the IT and cyber departments, but for all employees, as even more sophisticated ransomware and [distributed denial-of-service] attacks can be spotted sooner if everyone knows what to look out for," Doherty added.