How Do Computer Users View Online Security Risks?

How do computer users around the world view online security risks? A survey commissioned by F-Secure in Finland, Germany, Malaysia, Poland, Sweden, UK and United States reveals some interesting international variations in people's experiences and perceptions of the threats.

Asked how concerned they are about their online privacy and data security, Germans (77%) and Malaysians (73%) express the most concern, while the Swedes (42%) and Finns (36%) appear to be the least concerned — or the most confident about their online life.

An average of 49% of respondents across the seven countries say they have been hit by malware in the past 12 months, but their security software had notified them and prevented infection. The most malware hits are reported by Poland (70%), Finland (60%) and Malaysia (54%), with Germany (32%) reporting the lowest figure. Poland (14%) and Malaysia (11%) have the most respondents without any anti-virus protection on their computers which have been infected by malware.

The survey results also show that many computer users around the world are still unsure about security issues. For example, many people do not know if their computers have been infected in Sweden (38%), United States (34%), UK (33%), and Germany (32%).

There is also wide variation in how concerned people are about specific types of malware attacks. Germans (65%) and Malaysians (59%) are the most concerned about downloading malware from a website, compared to just 22% of respondents in Finland. The risk of poisoned search results, which criminals use to lead people to malicious websites, is taken most seriously by the Germans (62%) and the British (41%).

According to the survey, credit card crime is the most prevalent in the United States, where 32% of the respondents have personally experienced it or know someone who has been a victim. Malaysia (27%) and UK (27%) also report a relatively high level of credit card crime, while the lowest incidence is in Poland (11%) and Finland (12%).