• by October 25, 2004

There are results out today of a study pertaining to online safety. The non-profit National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and America Online hired technical experts to conduct the study in the homes of 329 dial-up and broadband PC consumers. The results of the study found that PC users believe they are mostly safe online, but lack basic protections against viruses, spyware, hackers, and other online threats.

The study found that the majority of computer users surveyed have a false sense of security with 77 percent saying they think their PC is "very" or "somewhat safe" from online threats; 73 percent saying their PC is "very" or "somewhat safe" from viruses; and three in five, or 60 percent, saying they feel "very" or "somewhat safe" from hackers.

Interestingly, while those surveyed were very concerned with viruses, most don't have updated anti-virus protection on their PCs. The surveyed found that two-thirds of users, or 67 percent, don't have anti-virus software updated within last week, and 15 percent have no anti-virus software at all on their PCs. Nearly two-thirds, or 63 percent, of respondents said they have been the past victim of a virus infection, and one in five users, or 19 percent, have at least one virus on their computer.

Where spyware is concerned, the issue is even more pronounced. The study found that consumers had virtually no knowledge about the existence of spyware and adware on their computers; almost 80 percent of respondents were found with programs on their computers. The average infected user had 93 spyware/adware components, and the most components found on a single computer during the scan was 1,059.

Even more astounding, the study found that 90 percent of consumers who were infected with spyware/adware said they didn't know the programs were on their computer; 90 percent said they don't know what the programs are or do; and 95 percent said they never gave permission for the programs to be installed. And here's a kicker: Nearly two-thirds of PC users with a pop-up blocker said they get pop-up ads anyway.

Study participants reported confusion over the protections offered by firewalls and anti-virus software, with 58 percent reporting they don't understand the difference between a firewall and anti-virus software very well or at all. And 53 percent said they don't understand what a firewall is and how it works. For the record, I'm not sure I understand what a firewall is either. I always thought that firewalls exist within corporate work environments, not within the home, non-networked PC environment. Where personal information is concerned, 84 percent of respondents said they keep health or financial records on their home computer, and 72 percent use their PC for online transactions such as banking or reviewing medical information. But most shocking, at least to me, is that most of the respondents, including parents, don't use parental control software; that's more than four out of five users with kids (83 percent).

The online safety study was conducted through in-person interviews and technical analyses from Sept. 15 through Oct. 8. The sample size consisted of 329 dial-up and broadband adult computer users who were at least 18 years old.

The sample included 194 broadband users (59 percent) and 135 dial-up users (41 percent). The margin of error for the survey portion of the study was +/- 5.4 percent with a 95 percent confidence level. Study participants were interviewed in more than 22 cities and towns and a dozen different states and metropolitan areas.