More than 9 in 10 Europeans worried about digital identity theft, research reveals
LONDON – 10 July, 2024 – Okta, Inc. (Nasdaq: OKTA), the leading independent identity provider, today announced findings from its 2024 European Customer Identity Survey, revealing significant concern among Europeans about digital identity theft, and the role of AI in making life online less safe.
The research, which polled over 4,000 consumers across the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands, reveals that 93% of consumers surveyed are worried about digital identity theft. Over half (54%) of consumers have increased their awareness of their digital footprint over the past year, with increasing cyberattacks (39%) and the rise of AI (28%) given as the most common reasons for this.
Furthermore, the majority of consumers think that AI has made the online environment less safe (56%) and increases the likelihood of digital identity attacks (59%). Over half of French consumers (51%) are very worried about digital identity theft, as opposed to 37% in the UK, 36% in Germany and 29% in the Netherlands.
Other key highlights from the Okta’s 2024 European Customer Identity Survey include:
Many are doing basic cyber hygiene, but two thirds still experience hacks
Two-thirds (66%) of those surveyed know someone personally who has had their personal details hacked. This may be informing increased awareness of basic cyber hygiene practices: 43% report using different passwords for every online account, while only 11% use the same password for everything.
Online banking top target, as consumers deprioritise social media and workplace accounts
Consumers consider online banking to be top of the target list for cybercriminals (57%). However, they are significantly less worried about social media and workplace accounts, other common targets for cybercriminals. Only 7% of consumers think their social media profiles are primary targets for cybercriminals despite it being a source of personal details, and 2% thought the same of their workplace accounts.
Secure login remains headache for many
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of consumers plan to improve their digital identity strategy to get more secure, and consider protecting their online identity as a matter of personal responsibility (45%). Over a quarter (26%) believe in a shared responsibility between the individual, government and businesses for protecting online identity.
However, European consumers face some common obstacles. 72% report frustration when logging in to their online accounts. This comes despite the fact that half (49%) of respondents would likely spend more money if the login process was simple, secure and frictionless. Notably, 42% of respondents are comfortable with businesses using AI to make the login experience easier, faster and more secure,
“Identity is the entrance to any experience in a digital first-world. With 80% of cybersecurity attacks stemming from credential abuse, identity-based attacks have become a top method for bad actors”, says Matt Ellard, SVP, GM EMEA at Okta. “Business leaders need to evolve quickly to adopt a rigorous security strategy and work culture to future-proof their organisation in the era of AI.
At Okta we're leading by example, and are committed to sharing our own experience and best practice with the industry to fight against identity-based attacks. This is the only way we will be able to free everyone to safely use any technology.”
The report was commissioned by Okta and carried out by international market research agency Cint. In total, 4,054 consumers responded to the questionnaire – 1,019 in the UK, 1,021 in Germany, 1,012 in France and 1,001 in The Netherlands.
About Okta
Okta is The World’s Identity Company™. We secure Identity, so everyone is free to safely use any technology. Our customer and workforce solutions empower businesses and developers to use the power of Identity to drive security, efficiencies, and success — all while protecting their users, employees, and partners. Learn why the world’s leading brands trust Okta for authentication, authorization, and more at okta.com.