Many Americans not protecting information on their computer

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Securing ones information on their computer is recognized as an important task, but few are doing it The last thing that anyone facing debt consolidation needs is a cyber attack from a hacker looking to likely worsen an already poor financial situation.

However, a new survey has found that many Americans are not making enough effort to protect the data on their computers from hackers

According to a study from the National Cyber Security Alliance and Symantec Online, while 85 percent of Americans feel it is their responsibility to manage the security of their own online data, only 27 percent said they had taken the initiative to make electronic backups of essential files on a weekly basis.

Despite so many Americans lacking in data protection, many admitted to storing important information on their computers. Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed said they stored bank information on their computers while 30 percent said they saved tax returns.

"Cyber security requires vigilance, maintenance and contingency planning every day of the year," said NCSA Executive Director Michael Kaiser. "Complex passwords and backing up are critical. Americans are doing better; they need to do better still and integrate cyber security into their lives until it’s second nature."

He added that while people seemed to be aware of their responsibility to protect themselves online, they need to implement their own security plans in order to make the internet a safer place.