Which would you rather have on the Internet: Your pics in the buff, or your PIN?
A MasterCard survey released Thursday found that 55 percent of people would rather have nude pictures of them leaked online than have their financial information stolen.
The research also found that more people would rather have their email accounts hacked—or even have their homes robbed.
Data security has become an increasingly serious concern for pretty much everyone as several government agencies and companies have become victims of breaches.
In May, the Internal Revenue Service said data for more than 100,000 taxpayers had been compromised. The data of approximately 280,000 AT&T customers also was exposed amid a series of breaches, the U.S. government said in April.
Individual consumers, however, are even more vulnerable to these attacks than companies, said J.J. Thompson, co-founder and CEO of Rook Security, an Indiana-based IT security firm.
"It's been pretty spotty for people trying to protect their [financial information]," he said. "People are being attacked every time they turn around."
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Thompson added that, while mobile and payment applications make it easier for consumers to move their money around, it also makes it easier for hackers and fraudsters to steal their financial information.