• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, July 27, 2017

When consumers purchase connected devices, they want security to come already built in to that device.

Security in connected devices obviously is critically important and is top of mind for consumers around the word.

A large majority (90%) of consumers say it is important that a connected device have security built into the product, based on a new study.

A majority (78%) also say they are aware that any smart device connected to their home Wi-Fi has the potential to be breached and personal data taken, according to the study.

The study comprised a survey of 8,000 adults in the U.S., U.K., Brazil, China, Germany and India conducted by YouGov for Irdeto. Figures were weighted to be representative of the adult populations of each country.

There’s a slight difference based on age, with 65% of those 18 to 24 years old being concerned about any of their smart devices being hacked, which compares to 73% of those older than 55 years old.

In every country surveyed, smart device owners 55 and older were more concerned about being hacked than were millennials.

However, the responsibility to prevent intrusions into smart devices is viewed as a shared responsibility, with the majority (56%) seeing it as the responsibility of both the product manufacturer and the consumer.

Only 15% of consumers see it as their responsibility to prevent hacking of their smart devices, while 20% see it as the responsibility of the smart device manufacturer.

By number of smart devices in a household, China and India lead and Germany and the U.S. trail. Here’s the country breakdown by households with more than one smart device:

• 90% -- China
• 90% -- India
• 86% -- Brazil
• 81% -- U.K.
• 70% -- U.S.
• 68% -- Germany

While consumers see security as a shared responsibility between themselves and smart device makers, when there’s a problem, the device maker is more likely to take the hit.