PC Tools released the results of a worldwide survey looking at how security savvy Web users were. The results were then compared by region, between European and Australian markets. They show that three out of four users were still not all that savvy when it comes to Web security.
Three out of four Web users still not security savvy. (IMG:J.Anderson)
According to the results, PC Tools noted that one in five of those who answered the survey questions do not understand the nature of zero day threats, such as the ones that seem to target PDF files and Microsoft Office, or in recent days, IIS. As criminals expand the scope of their attacks, they take advantage of unknown flaws in various software installations to make them more successful. This is why PDF related flaws, one of the most targeted in recent months, are so abundant.
Another sample of data from the survey results show that the French are most likely to use the same password across all websites, with 56-percent making that claim, compared to 45-percent in Benelux, 35-percent in the UK, 31-percent in Australia, and as few as 16% in Germany.
Password security is a major headache for typical Internet users, who are bombarded with warnings about using the same password for each site, or for using passwords that are too short or weak overall. However, the advice is sound and there are some quality password management applications online to help ease some of the password frustration. Some of those password management applications have even been reviewed in The Tech Herald’s labs.
The use of Phishing attacks by criminals, where a fake replica of a website is created, such as a site that looks like Facebook or MySpace, and users are lured to them so that their login credentials can be captured, is exactly why security people warn against using the same password for each site.
If your MySpace account is compromised, it isn’t that large of a loss. At the same time, if the same password is used for email or finance related accounts online, it is a huge loss.
Lastly, PC Tools reports that one third of Brits never update their security software, making them the most vulnerable of the countries who responded, compared to 10-percent of Australians, 5-percent of Germans, 7-percent of the French and 5-percent of the Benelux respondents
The security software you install and rely on to protect your information and system is only worth something if it is kept updated. Most of the security software on the market sold today includes behavior based detection, but at the same time all of them rely on updates to ensure overall protection.
In the brief email sent to us, explaining the survey and its results, there was no mention of how many people were a part of the survey, but we are guessing it was s small sample. There was no word when the results and further information would be posted.
PC Tools is online here.
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