More consumers are being affected by security breaches at the moment, with researchers placing the blame on a lack of effort made on the part of the people who are reliant on various digital platforms to keep their data safe, according to Information Age.

A new report from TeleSign found that 30 per cent of adults in the UK have been affected by some kind of data leak or security issue in the last 12 months, while almost two-thirds are keen to see retailers and other businesses take more action to prevent such eventualities from occurring.

While consumers may be more aware of the risks that can prevent them from enjoying safe shopping online, experts argue that people are actually not especially willing to alter their own habits to make their e-commerce activities more secure.

Data breaches can cost companies over £3 million each time they occur, but when companies choose to implement additional steps in the authentication process to prevent platforms from being exploited by scammers, people are less willing to adopt this extra layer of protection.

Password strength is another persistent problem in the world of safe shopping online, because even if a retailer invests heavily in shoring up their services against outside exploitation, if a user’s password can easily be guessed, then there is little that the firm can do to stop unauthorised access from being granted.

Three-quarters of consumers use the same password across multiple services, while 47 per cent said that they have not updated their password for the past half decade.

With weak passwords that are changed only sporadically, people are putting themselves in the firing line. And for true online safety to be achieved, it is not only necessary for retailers to do their bit but also for consumers to get used to the idea that they have a part to play.