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Robert Vamosi
New poll finds Internet security confusion

Robert Vamosi
Senior Editor, Reviews
Friday, October 29
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There's a survey out last week from Bentley College, a business school in Waltham, Massachusetts, that finds Americans are aware of Internet dangers but aren't knowledgeable enough to take proper precautions. I think we in the technical community all knew that, but it's nice to have the lack of public security education quantified. The Bentley survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, goes a bit further, too, offering insight into how ordinary people think the Internet should be more secure: automatic vendor updates of software.

Survey says...
In the first part of the Bentley survey, respondents were asked about general Internet security issues. The Bentley/ Harris Interactive survey results are as follows:
  • Ninety percent of respondents had antivirus software installed on their home PCs, but 10 percent never or rarely updated it.
  • Forty-nine percent were unaware that Internet browsers may contain software flaws.
  • Forty-four percent did not know that criminal hackers could use their home computers to send spam.
  • Forty percent do not understand how spyware works.
  • Thirty percent do not understand how computer viruses work.

The survey contacted 2,952 adults, nationwide and was accurate plus or minus 2 percent. Harris estimates that 139 million people are online, so each percentage point equals roughly 1.39 million people.

Trouble brewing
The fact that nearly half the Bentley survey group did not realize that their Microsoft Internet Explorer browser contained software vulnerabilities scares me. Are these people using Microsoft's Windows Update service? The basic confusion surrounding flaws within Internet Explorer is one reason I recommend switching over to Mozilla Firefox. While Firefox isn't impervious to software flaws, recent flaws have been patched almost immediately by the open-source developers who created the browser--a much better track record than Microsoft's years-long attempts to fix Internet Explorer.

The second finding is troubling, too: that 41.7 million people said they don't really understand computer viruses. I have a solution for this. Several columns ago, I put out a call for the major antivirus companies to provide a light version of their flagship antivirus apps. Since that column, I have talked with representatives of most of the major antivirus vendors; a few sounded intrigued but wouldn't commit.

My idea is not to bankrupt these companies but to have one of them take the lead in vanquishing viruses from the Internet. The more computers that are protected worldwide, the fewer chances we have of rapidly spreading malware. Since all of the big-name antivirus vendors are already producing the latest signature files for their corporate customers, why not provide a stripped-down antivirus scanner for free. If people want to upgrade to the full-blown version, so be it, but at least we've established a minimum standard, and the antivirus vendor can claim that it alone is doing something proactive to stop the spread of Internet viruses and worms.

There's a model for this already: Zone Labs has already tried this with its very successful ZoneAlarm firewall, and I think the policy of having a free firewall available has helped advance the number of home PCs with software firewalls. The same is true with the free version of Ad-aware; ultimately, it helps drive sales of the more feature-rich paid version.

What to do
The second part of the survey asked respondents how they'd like to see the Internet secured. According to the Bentley/Harris Interactive survey:
  • Fifty-six percent say that software updates should be automatically installed by vendors or by ISPs.
  • Thirty-four percent want to see laws requiring the computer industry to safeguard our computers.
  • Thirty-two percent think there should be voluntary guidelines for home users to follow to ensure home computers are safe.

Anyone who runs a corporate networks know that one patch doesn't always fix all. But several antivirus vendors already download updated program fixes with their automatic antivirus signature file updates without incident. I think if Corel, for example, wants to automatically patch my WordPerfect Office Suite, that would also be fine. But I think there should be an option, as with the Symantec product line, that lets me choose to update all my Symantec products automatically or to do it myself when I want to.

As for whether laws should require software vendors and others to ensure our home computers be safe, I think vendors should be held more accountable. If I sold you a car and its wheels fell off as you left the lot, wouldn't you hold me responsible? We accept far too much abuse from software vendors--lost productivity, data theft, poor documentation, expensive technical support phone calls---so it's time to push back.

Do any of the findings in the Bentley/Harris Interactive survey surprise you? Talk back to me.

   

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