Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup


These are the flaws that let hackers attack blockchain and DeFi projects
Let's start with Bishop Fox, who published an analysis of the significant blockchain and DeFi heists that occurred in 2021. The cybersecurity firm analysed $1.8 billion in losses. There were 65 major events examined by the team, of which 90% were considered to be "unsophisticated attacks".
SEE: These are the flaws that let hackers attack blockchain and DeFi projects
Welcome to the trusted experiences-led economy
Customer experience is now decidedly digital-first, according to the State of the Connected Customer report 2022, a Salesforce survey of 13,020 consumers. Two-third (66%) of customers have stopped buying from a company whose values didn't align with theirs - up from 62% in 2020.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 can lose half its value in a month
A report by SellCell made terrible reading for Samsung Galaxy S22 and Google Pixel 6 buyers. The Samsung Galaxy S22 handsets lost the most value in the first couple of months on average, at 51.1% (Good) and 46.8% (Like New), followed by Pixel 6 range at 43.5% and 41.5%, with the iPhone 13 range doing the best, losing only 16.4% and 19.1%.
SEE: The Samsung Galaxy S22 can lose half its value in a month
5G surpasses public Wi-Fi for mobile gaming performance, download speeds
Opensignal found that mmWave 5G provided by far the best rating of any networking technology with a score of 81.8 out of 100. However, mid-band 5G - which is typically slower than mmWave - still beat out public Wi-Fi networks with a score of 74.5 versus public Wi-Fi's rating of 72.
SEE: Opensignal: 5G surpasses public Wi-Fi for mobile gaming performance, download speeds
Direct or digital banks lead the way with customer satisfaction
J.D. Power found 27% of American banking customers are using a digital-only bank. Yet brands such as American Express, Discover, and Charles Schwab are at the top of the company's direct-banking satisfaction ranking chart, outpacing both traditional banks and newer neobanks like SoFi, Chime, and Cash App.
SEE: Direct or digital banks lead the way with customer satisfaction: J.D. Power study
Inflation, burnout among biggest challenges small business owners face
A Capital One survey found 48% of small business owners are concerned about inflation, and 42% have experienced burnout in the last month. A total of 27% indicated they've built up cash reserves, while 23% have preemptively increased their prices.
SEE: Inflation, burnout among biggest challenges small business owners face: Survey
UK cost-of-living crisis: What's happening, why, and what might help
A survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Sky News, of over 2,000 adults in Britain, revealed some of the tactics people are using to try and cut down their monthly expenditure. Almost two-thirds (65%) say they are keeping the heating off when they otherwise would have turned it on.
SEE: UK cost-of-living crisis: What's happening, why, and what might help
Google's massive language translation work identifies where it goofs up
Finally, Google machine-learning scientists released a research paper on multi-lingual translation. The results weren't great. Out of 28 languages translated from English, 13 were rated below 4 on the scale in terms of quality of translation.
SEE: Google's massive language translation work identifies where it goofs up