​Malaysians Believe Telcos More Likely to Suffer Data Breaches Than Other Industries and Largely Support Social Media Monitoring, According to Unisys Research

Unisys urges Malaysian organisations to actively take preventative measures to protect consumers' personal data and build trust

Kuala Lumpur, 29 July, 2015 – New research from Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) finds Malaysians believe telecommunications companies are more likely to suffer breaches of consumers' personal data in the next 12 months than many other types of organisations.

The survey also found that the Malaysian public's comfort with organisations monitoring social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube varies depending on the intended purpose.

Unisys Security Insights¹ is a global study that provides insights into the attitudes of consumers on a range of security issues. The study, conducted in Malaysia by Lieberman Research Group, surveyed 503 adults during April and May 2015.

Which organisations do consumers trust to protect their data?

The survey asked consumers in 12 countries about the likelihood that their personal data held by seven types of organisations (airlines, banking/finance, government, healthcare, retail, telecom, and utilities) would be accessed by an unauthorised person, accidently or deliberately, within the next year.

Fifty-nine percent of Malaysians surveyed expect a personal information data breach in the next 12 months at a telco. There is moderate expectation of a data breach by government (with 49 percent of respondents expecting a breach within a year), healthcare providers (43 percent) and utilities (41 percent) such as a power or water supplier. However, only about one in three Malaysians expect a data breach at a retailer, bank or airline.

"The survey reveals which organisations the Malaysian public perceives to be most vulnerable," explains Mr John Kendall, security program director, Unisys Asia Pacific. "Consumer trust must be earned and maintained. Telecommunications companies need to not only take preventative measures, but also make those measures visible to build and keep public confidence."

"Retailers, banks and airlines are the most trusted type of organisations. However, they will need to work to maintain this trust as they continue to capture more information about their customers in a bid to provide personalised services and offers. This is particularly true for airlines as they start to play a greater role assisting with border security measures," he says.

% Malaysians expecting a data breach in next 12 months by industry: ​

Overall, Malaysians recorded a lower expectation of breaches of their personal information than most of the 12 countries surveyed, with only the US and UK lower.  

Dr. Amirudin Abdul Wahab, CEO of CyberSecurity Malaysia, the national cyber security specialist agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said, "While it appears that Malaysians trust organisations to protect their data, those organisations cannot afford to be complacent. Personal data is treasure to criminals, so consumers must make sure the organisations they deal with constantly update and improve measures to secure their data against malicious and accidental breaches." Dr. Amirudin also urges organisations to report any data breaches or other cyber security incidents to Cyber999, a help centre managed by CyberSecurity Malaysia. "The report will assist us to analyse the cyber security scenario and to come out with the necessary advisories in our effort to mitigate cyber security incidents in the country."

Are Malaysians comfortable with social media monitoring?

The Unisys Security Insights research also reveals that the majority of Malaysians surveyed are comfortable with private or government organisations monitoring publically available information on social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. But their level of comfort varies somewhat depending on the purpose of the monitoring.

Seven in ten Malaysians surveyed (71 percent) support monitoring social media to identify public issues or concerns, such as to inform governments about local needs or problems. And 65 percent are comfortable with such monitoring to help evaluate job candidates for positions of trust such as teachers or carers. Nearly six in ten Malaysians also support such monitoring to detect possible terrorist activity.

% of Malaysians comfortable with social media monitoring for specific purposes 

Mr Kendall explains that the same question was asked in Australia and New Zealand revealing some interesting differences.

"Malaysians recorded higher comfort with social media monitoring overall than Aussies and Kiwis. This reflects a very forward thinking attitude among Malaysians regarding the potential roles and benefits of social media when analysed by trusted organisations for the benefit of the specific end user or society as a whole," says Mr Kendall.

"For example, Malaysians are twice as comfortable with social media monitoring for marketing and advertising purposes than their Aussie and Kiwi neighbours. This could be because Malaysians are some of the most avid online shoppers in the world and so are more open to their online identities being analysed for targeted advertising and personalised offers.

"Yet even if Malaysian consumers currently have high trust in organisations to protect their data and are comfortable with their social media being monitored for various purposes, this trust is fragile and Malaysian organisations must be clear about why they collect data and how they will protect it, if they want to retain this trust," Mr Kendall advises.

¹About Unisys Security Insights

Unisys Security Insights is global research that provides insights into the attitudes of consumers on a range of security related issues. The survey was conducted in April and May 2015 by Lieberman Research group in Latin America, Europe, Malaysia and the U.S.; and by Newspoll in Australia and New Zealand. Responses are from nearly 11,000 people in 12 countries: Australia, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

About Unisys

Unisys is a global information technology company that solves organisations' most pressing IT and business challenges. With more than 20,000 employees serving clients around the world, our offerings include cloud and infrastructure services, application services, business process outsourcing services, and high-end server technology. For more information, visit www.unisys.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

About Unisys Asia Pacific

In Asia Pacific, Unisys delivers services and solutions through subsidiaries in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan and through distributors or resellers in other countries in the region.

About CyerSecurity Malaysia

CyberSecurity Malaysia is the national cyber security specialist and technical centre under the purview of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Malaysia. CyberSecurity Malaysia provides expertise and technical services in the field of cyber security for the public and private sectors as well as the community. For additional information, please visit our website at www.cybersecurity.my.
For general inquiry, please email to info@cybersecurity.my.
Stay connected with us on www.facebook.com/CyberSecurityMalaysia and www.twitter.com/cybersecuritymy.

Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corporation. All other brands and products referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Contacts:

Gerald Gasper, Spectrum Group, +65 98753011
geraldgasper@singnet.com.sg 

Claire Hosegood, Unisys Asia Pacific, +61 411 253 663
claire.hosegood@au.unisys.com