Findings from the 2020 Unisys Security Index from Unisys Corporation reveal that India has the second-highest level of security concerns of the 15 countries surveyed. The Unisys Security Index score of 223 out of 300 signifies that Indians have a high level of security concerns across the breadth of national, financial, internet and personal security covered by the survey, with identity theft emerging as the top security concern overall, with 83% of Indians seriously concerned about this issue. 

Internet security concerns were a close second, with 82% of respondents seriously concerned about computer viruses and hacking and the security of online transactions. These findings reflect the growing internet penetration and use of digital services in the country as well as strong awareness of security risks in the personal and cyber space.

The Unisys Security Index also explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indians. The survey revealed that family health is the number one priority during a pandemic like COVID-19, with 82% of Indians citing it as their top concern. The country’s economic stability and healthcare infrastructure were next in line and cited as key concerns by 80% of respondents, and 79% said they were seriously concerned about their personal physical health. Indians expressed the least concern about being scammed because of the pandemic (72%) or suffering a data breach while working from home (71%). 

“The Unisys Security Index captures the pulse of security concerns in India. The good news is that there is widespread awareness of security risks in the personal and digital realm with 8 in 10 Indians concerned about identity theft, computer hacking and viruses, bankcard fraud and online transactions,” said Sumed Marwaha, managing director, Unisys India and regional vice president, Services, Unisys.

However, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the personal and professional lives of respondents is also evident – people are focused on their family’s health, said Sumed, adding, "They likely assume their employer will take care of securing data and systems in the ‘new normal’ of the work-from-home (WFH) environment. Therefore, employers must adopt a security strategy that treats people as their weakest link in security. They need to ensure their people have secure direct access to applications, are trained to identify and avoid malicious scams and phishing attacks designed to exploit the fears and distractions created by the pandemic, and can quickly isolate devices or parts of the network to minimise the extent of a breach.”