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Major Gaps Still Exist Between the Perception and the Reality of Americans’ Internet Security Protections, Study Finds

Major Gaps Still Exist Between the Perception and the Reality of
Americans’ Internet Security Protections, Study Finds  

The National Cyber Security Alliance and Symantec Corp. Focus on Upping America’s Cyber
Defenses at Start of National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Media Contacts:

Aimee Larsen-Kirkpatrick
National Cyber Security Alliance
Phone: (202) 756-3616
email: aimee@staysafeonline.org

Joshua Zecher
463 Communications
Phone: (202) 463-0013, ext. 206
email: josh.zecher@463.com

WASHINGTON, DC, October 2, 2008 - 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 new cyber security study released by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and Symantec, makers of Norton security software.

The NCSA-Symantec Online Safety Study found that more than 80 percent of Americans claim to have a firewall -- designed to prevent hackers and criminals from stealing personal information -- installed on their computer. Yet, in reality only 42 percent had adequate firewall protection according to the study, which combined polling and computer checkups performed by Symantec’s PC Help by Norton. Americans do seem to have heeded the computer virus warnings as 95 percent of those checked had anti-virus software installed.

“As we begin National Cyber Security Month, this national study of America’s cyber security protections provides us with a critical baseline of understanding of how we conduct ourselves and protect ourselves online," said NCSA Executive Director Michael Kaiser. "Great strides have been made but our citizens, economy and national infrastructure will remain at unnecessary risk until every computer user in America has anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software on their computers.”

On the bright side, users’ perceptions matched closely with reality in the realm of anti-spyware software. The study revealed virtually no difference between the percentage of Americans who had anti-spyware software installed (82 percent) and the percentage that said they had it installed (83 percent). Still, close to one-fifth of all users are not running adequate spyware defenses. Spam filters, however, were a different story. Seventy-five percent of poll respondents said they were using spam filters, compared to only 52 percent who had them installed to prevent unwanted email.

“Anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software are the front-line basic protections that all Americans should have, and they are critical to keeping your computer, personal information and your family safe online,” said Adam Rak, senior director of public affairs for Symantec. “To continue raising much-needed awareness around this important topic, Symantec has launched several education initiatives this year making it a priority to connect parents and educators with the resources they need to protect themselves and their family online.”

While many Americans still struggle to understand basic cybersecurity tools and practices, they do recognize that security is a major issue. 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.

“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,” Kaiser said. “Too often, cyber security has been made to seem complicated and inaccessible. We want to help all Americans get to the point where following basic cyber-security practices become as natural as looking both ways before crossing the street.”

For the study, NCSA commissioned a Zogby survey of more than 3,000 Americans and Symantec conducted checkups of 400 Americans' personal computers performed by PC Help By Norton (www.norton.com/tuneup). The Zogby poll has a margin of error of +/- 1.6% and the checkup has a margin of error of +/- 5%.

About The National Cyber Security Alliance

The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) is a collaborative effort among experts in the security, non-profit, academic and government fields to teach consumers, small businesses and members of the education community about Internet security. The NCSA aims to increase awareness about the risks associated with using Internet technologies and how to help protect against them, while also providing free tips, checklists and best practices for remaining safe while online.

Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, the mission of the NCSA is to create a culture of cyber security and safety awareness by providing the knowledge and tools necessary to prevent cyber crime and attacks.

About PC Help By Norton PC Help By Norton is a new remote PC help service, designed to fix common PC problems conveniently over the Internet. For more information regarding PC Help by Norton’s PC Tune-Up Service designed to boost speed and performance, consumers can visit www.norton.com/tuneup or call 1-877-788-4877.

About Symantec

Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help businesses and consumers secure and manage their information. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in more than 40 countries. More information is available at www.symantec.com.

About National Cyber Security Awareness Month

National Cyber Security Awareness Month is supported by Department of Homeland Security National Cyber Security Division (NCSD), the National Cyber Security Alliance, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) and other partners to educate the American public, businesses, schools and government agencies about ways to secure their part of cyber space, computers and our nation's critical infrastructure.

Cyber Security is Our Shared Responsibility.