You thought that computers are safe with antivirus?Maybe not

[cycloneye]

Survey: Most users mistakenly believe their computers are protected from viruses and spyware.
October 25, 2004: 6:55 AM EDT



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most computer users believe they are safe from online threats even as their machines fall victim to viruses and spyware, according to a survey released Monday.

The survey of 329 computer users by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance found that many were more vulnerable than they thought.

While 77 percent of those surveyed said they thought their computers were well-protected, four out of five had spyware or adware programs running on their computer and nearly two-thirds said they had been infected by a virus.



Though 85 percent had anti-virus software on their computers, most had not updated that software in the past week -- a necessary step to guard against viruses that can spread across the globe in a matter of days.

Two-thirds didn't have a firewall to protect against hackers, and 38 percent of wireless network users did not encrypt their networks.

Most users also had little awareness of "adware" programs that deliver pop-up ads based on the Web sites visited. Most infected with adware did not know they had such programs on their computers and did not know how to get rid of them.

"I was surprised at the difference between perception and reality in some cases," said Ken Watson, a Cisco Systems Inc. (Research) executive who chairs the National Cyber Security Alliance, a partnership between high-tech businesses and the U.S. government.

Watson said computer users can easily protect themselves against most online threats by keeping anti-virus software up to date and using a firewall.

Computer safety tips can be found at the group's Web site.

The survey was conducted between Sept. 15 and Oct. 8 and has a 5.4 percent margin of error

[alicia-w]

I dont think a LOT of people realize that anti-virus software does absolutely nothing to protect against spyware and malware. Here's to the ever-present capitalism in our society....