Acronis: Need for simpler, more accessible cybersecurity paired with data backups

Source: Acronis Data Privacy in 2025 report. Asked about data privacy best practices, over 60% of respondents said they use strong, unique passwords for each account.

Acronis, a global provider of cybersecurity and data protection, has unveiled the inaugural Data Privacy in 2025: A survey to explore consumer views on cyber protection report. In its first year, the survey uncovered a stark contrast between growing awareness of cyberthreats and the lack of proactive security measures among individuals worldwide.

The research has found that data breaches are a top privacy concern for 64% of consumers, emphasising the urgent need to strengthen personal cyberdefences. Other highlights include: 

Data breach fears 

Despite heightened awareness, 25% of respondents have experienced data theft or loss, and 12% remain unsure if they’ve been breached, exhibiting the hidden nature of many cyberattacks. 

Solid backup practices

Two-thirds (66%) back up their data regularly, while 9% don’t back up their data at all. Four percent don’t know what 'backup' means. 

Weak password protection

While more than two-thirds (68%) use strong, unique passwords, fewer than half (46%) employ two-factor authentication (2FA), a key defence against breaches. 

Mobile security adoption lags

Although 43% of respondents report using mobile security apps, 35% are unfamiliar with these tools, even though smartphones have become essential to modern digital life. 

Attitudes vs actions

While over 60% rate data security as 'very important', only 40% frequently update their passwords, and nearly 70% continue to use public Wi-Fi for sensitive activities. 

Consumer frustrations

Nearly 30% of respondents find security tools too complex to use, and 25% cite high costs as a barrier to adoption. 

Generational divide

Consumers under 35 report significantly more breach incidents than older demographics (aged 55–64), potentially reflecting riskier digital habits. 

Cyber education on the rise

Encouragingly, video-based cybersecurity education is gaining traction, with 44% of respondents turning to online videos to learn about safety best practices. 

“At Acronis, we’ve seen how both corporate practices and individual behaviours shape the landscape of data privacy and cyberprotection,” said Gaidar Magdanurov, President at Acronis. 

“We launched this survey around Data Privacy Day to better understand how home users think about data protection and the steps they are taking to safeguard their information. While many people are rightly concerned about how organisations handle their data, this survey highlights that individuals also play a crucial role in protecting themselves.”

According to Acronis, the report serves as a global reminder of the importance of safeguarding personal information. The company has urged consumers to adopt foundational practices such as regular data backups, enabling 2FA, and using mobile security apps in conjunction with Data Privacy Day on January 28.

“This inaugural consumer-focused survey from Acronis highlights a critical paradox in modern cybersecurity - individuals are increasingly aware of the risks, yet still many lack the tools or knowledge to protect themselves effectively,” said Gerald Beuchelt, CISO at Acronis. 

“Data breaches are a top concern globally so there is an urgent need for simpler, more accessible cybersecurity solutions paired with data backup, and stronger education to empower individuals to protect their digital lives. These efforts can help bridge the gap between awareness and action.”

Explore

Browse the survey findings and insights by visiting https://www.acronis.com/en-us/blog/posts/data-privacy-survey-consumers-worry-about-data-but-dont-do-enough-to-protect-it/

Get the report at https://www.acronis.com/en-us/resource-center/resource/data-privacy-in-2025-survey/

*The Acronis Data Privacy in 2025 survey gathered responses from 2,480 general- population consumers aged 18–64 across the world.

Reconsidering where you stand on digital privacy

2020 marks the 14th Data Protection Day, which is celebrated across the globe. The initiative, dubbed Privacy Day outside of Europe, aims to raise awareness about good practices in data protection and inform people about the risks associated with the illegal mishandling and unfair processing of their personal data.

While everyone agrees that data protection is important, security specialist ESET points out that individuals are becoming increasingly desensitised to current measures to protect data. These are typically a case of pressing “I agree” to websites, devices, and apps accessing personal data.

"It’s easy to understand; we are willing to sacrifice privacy, on some level, for convenience. However, this Data Protection Day is the time to take stock of exactly how, where, and when you are giving up the right to digital privacy, and whether this is a sacrifice you are willing to make," said the company in a statement.

ESET also noted that few people understand what they can do if their data protection rights have been breached, and that the information can be difficult to access. "A good way of finding out if your data has been compromised in a data breach is to head to haveibeenpwned.com, which will let you know if your account has been breached. If it has, it is highly recommended that you update your passwords across all accounts," the company advised.

"Similarly, if you feel like a company is abusing your data, you can lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority, which will investigate and inform you of the outcome of your complaint within three months."

According to ESET, measures for individuals can include creating strong, unique passwords for all accounts; using trusted Wi-Fi networks; backing up and encrypting your data; wiping hard drives that are no longer used; and ensuring that all software is up-to-date.

Businesses can also be impacted by data protection regulation and consumer rights. ESET has developed a 61-page for Dummies ebook featuring 10 keys to effective data protection covering:

• The data security measures a company needs
• Compliance with the latest data regulations
• Make sure a company is a non-target for cybercriminals
• Minimising the effects of a data breach or loss

Details:

Download the Data Protection For Dummies e-book

*The Council of Europe’s data protection convention, known as Convention 108, was signed on January 28, 1981. Convention 108, which continues to be updated as the digital world evolves, is the only international treaty of its kind. The Council launched Data Protection Day to commemorate the convention. The day has been celebrated each year on January 28 starting from 2007.

Firefox Focus on Android launched by Mozilla

Source: Mozilla. Mozilla launches Firefox Focus for Android.

Mozilla, the champion for an open and freely accessible Internet, has launched Firefox Focus for Android users to meet the growing demand from users of mobile devices who want more privacy online.

Firefox Focus allows its users to browse the web without being followed by tracking ads, which are notoriously for slowing down the mobile experience. The announcement comes over six months after the successful launch of the Firefox Focus for iPhone and iPad users last November, and includes an ad tracker counter, tracker disabling and a notification reminder, among other features.

"While we knew that Focus provided a useful service for those times when you want to keep your web browsing to yourself, we were floored by your response – it’s the highest rated browser from a trusted brand for the iPhone and iPad, earning a 4.6 average rating on the App Store," said Barbara Bermes, Product Manager for Firefox Mobile at Mozilla, in a blog post.

The Android release of Firefox Focus includes:

· An ad tracker counter – the counter lists the number of ads blocked per site while using the app.

· Disable tracker blocker – For sites that are not loading correctly, the tracker blocker can be disabled.

· Notification reminder – When Focus is running in the background, Mozilla sends a notification so that users can erase their browsing histories.

"Since we support both custom tabs and the ability to disable the ad blocking as needed, it works great with apps like Facebook when you just want to read an article without being tracked," Bermes said.

Interested?

Download Firefox Focus on Google Play and in the App Store.

Chinese Internet users happy to share personal data - for a price

• Those aged 30 to 40 are most likely to share data for rewards
• China, Mexico and Russia lead for people willing to share data

Over a quarter (27%) of Internet users across 17 countries strongly agree that they are willing to share their personal data in exchange for benefits or rewards like lower costs or personalised service. This contrasts to 19% who are unwilling to share data.

GfK asked people online to indicate how strongly they agree or disagree with the statement, "I am willing to share my personal data (health, financial, driving records, energy use, etc.) in exchange for benefits or rewards like lower costs or personalised service" - using a scale where "1" means "don't agree at all" and "7" means "agree completely".

Equal percentages of both men and women are firmly willing to share their data in return for benefits - both standing at 27%. However, more women than men class themselves as firmly unwilling, standing at 21% of women versus 18% of men.

People in their twenties and thirties are most likely to share their data, with a third saying they are firmly willing to do so (33% in their twenties and 34% in their thirties). They are followed by those aged 15 to 19 years old, at 28%.

People in China are most ready to share their personal data in exchange for benefits, with 38% of the online population saying they are firmly willing to do so and 8% firmly unwilling.

Other Asian countries polled included Japan and China.

Interested?

Download findings for each of the 17 countries

Opera browser includes a free, no-log VPN

Source: Opera.

A free, no-log, easy-to-use VPN is available directly in the Opera desktop browser. With this launch, Opera has become the first major browser to release a built-in VPN service.

"If people knew how the Internet truly works, I believe they all would use a VPN," says Krystian Kolondra, SVP of Opera browser for computers. "By making our browser VPN free and easy to use, we hope to make it an essential tool, just as the lock and key is to your house."

When turned on, Opera's VPN creates a secure connection to one of Opera's five server locations around the world. The VPN lets people choose where to appear on the Internet, giving their online privacy and security a boost while making content easier to access.

People can also let the Opera browser intelligently select the optimal server location based on factors such as network speed, latency, location and server capacity. When in automatic location mode, browsing through the VPN is always at the maximum available speed.

The VPN feature - powered by Opera subsidiary SurfEasy - utilises a secure 256-bit AES encrypted connection to the VPN virtual locations and is a no-log service, which means neither Opera nor SurfEasy will store any information about a user's browsing history.

"We know that people are concerned about their privacy online and that the interest for VPN is increasing," Kolondra said. "However, two major obstacles are blocking people from using it: VPNs are too complicated to use, and they require a monthly subscription. Opera resolves both issues by introducing its free and easy-to-use service right into the browser."

Interested?

Watch the video introducing the VPN feature in the Opera browser

The VPN feature can be enabled by going to Settings or Preferences in the software, then toggling the 'Privacy & Security' option on. An icon labeled "VPN" will appear in the browser to the left of the address field, from which users can activate the VPN and choose their preferred location. Download the Opera browser

The companies which really need to invest in security to stay in business

Organisations should prioritise security above all else or be prepared to struggle to stay afloat if a security breach exposes customer data, warns security firm Trend Micro. The company mentioned the recent Ashley Madison dating website hack as one case where individuals, especially married ones, might be expected to be unhappy to be outed as customers.

"It's about protecting private, personal details and a reputation. When personal details of this nature become public, this opens up the breach victims to blackmail and extortion—at the very least, they could expect situations that involve Internet shaming and awkward explanations," the company noted in a statement.

According to Trend Micro, there are many other companies which need to focus on security to the nature of their business: 

Online retailers such as Lazada, Zalora, Taobao, or basically any company which sells anything online

"Customers want to have the ease of being able to shop online without being at risk of having their personal details exposed and stolen. With multiple transactions involving credit card details and banking information, it’s a gold mine for cyber attackers," the company said.

Cloud storage and sharing services - DropBox, iCloud 

Anything gets saved on these services, including confidential data. "Ensuring server security and providing secure processes such as two factor authentication reduces the risk and increases security for data storage. Similarly, let’s not forget that users also have to play their part in being savvy on having hard-to-guess passwords and so on," Trend Micro commented.

Messaging services - Line, WhatsApp, WeChat, and email services - Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com 

Eavesdropper alert - what if private conversations were made public? While messaging services need only worry about hackers stealing conversations or customer information, breaching email is the jackpot. Besides being a source of confidential data and conversations, email is often a method of authentication, and a common way of getting phished. Trend Micro’s 2014 Roundup Report Magnified Losses, Amplified Need for Cyber-Attack Preparedness showed an 88.65% increase in the volume of phishing sites in 2014, so the danger is worse than ever before.

"It’s on both the business and the user to provide and understand security measures that should be taken. Being cautious to targeted attacks such as phishing scams is one example," Trend Micro said. 

"Companies that hold the personal data of their users need to go above and beyond what regulations call for, to reassure their users that they are doing all they can to protect their users."