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Submitted by: Bill Hickey
NCVA Listmaster
NRT-0628 Survey finds American computer users take inadequate security precautions:
A large number of Americans still fail to use basic Internet security tools, and there remains a substantial gap between the protections people think they have and what is actually installed on their computers, according to a study by Symantec and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) cited in an online IT journal. For example, more than 80 percent of American computer users polled claimed to have a firewall installed on their systems, but, in fact, only 42 percent had adequate firewall protection. The study shows little difference in the percentage of Americans who said they had anti‑spyware software installed (83 percent) and the percentage who actually had it installed (82 percent). Still, this shows that one‑fifth of all users do not have adequate spyware defenses. While most Americans still struggle with proper cyber‑security measures, the study shows they do recognize the danger: Only 26 percent of Americans polled said they felt their computers were "very safe" from viruses, and only 21 percent said their computers were "very safe" from hacker attacks.
Once a user has been re‑directed, the damage is done: a victim need not enter a user name or password, because simply visiting the blank page allowed the hackers to steal authentication cookies that act as universal keys across the entire yahoo.com domain. Access to the Yahoo cookies provided the hackers with broad control over users Yahoo accounts, including Yahoo Mail and any other service belonging to the yahoo.com domain that uses authentication cookies.
"We must redouble our efforts to ensure that Americans know how to use all of the tools necessary to protect their computers, themselves and their families from harm," said NCSA Executive Director Michael Kaiser. The NCSA‑Symantec study was released to coincide with National Cyber Security Awareness Month, an annual education and public awareness campaign focusing on cyber‑security.
(www.eweek.com. 02OCT08)
Last Modified: Friday, 14-Nov-2008 07:24:23 EST
