Half of all consumers would steer clear of firms that have suffered a breach in the past, according to a new poll from F5 Networks.
The application delivery firm interviewed over 3,000 adults from the UK, France and Germany to better understand their attitudes to computer hacking.
It found that exactly 50% said they wouldn’t share data with or buy products from any firms that had been hacked in the past.
In the UK, respondents were even more unequivocal in their judgement of erring companies.
Some 61% said they thought firms aren’t doing enough to protect themselves from attack, compared to just 49% in France and 46% in Germany.
There are also different attitudes to the hackers themselves across Europe, with 10% in the UK viewing them in a favorable light, compared to 19% in France and 14% in Germany.
Almost three-quarters (72%) think cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated.
“Consumers increasingly feel it is the responsibility of businesses to lead the fight against hackers and ensure they are protecting their customers. While consumers have to improve their digital behaviour with stricter security mind-set, still the responsibility of protecting data resides with the business at hand,” said Gad Elkin, EMEA security director at F5 Networks.
“Businesses must take heed and improve both their own defences and how they educate customers about cyber risks.”
An extra incentive to get security right is the forthcoming European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which will levy fines of up to 4% of annual global turnover on companies failing to comply, and require breach notifications within 72 hours.
Even companies based outside of the EU will have to comply if they hold data on European citizens.