Net users told to get safe online in U.K.
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Widespread ignorance about basic computer security in UK is putting millions of people at risk from net-savvy criminals, a survey suggests.
It found 83% of 1,000 people questioned were not doing enough to protect themselves online, with 53% saying they did not know how to improve security. It coincides with a Get Safe Online campaign backed by the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit and the government. "Increasingly we are seeing organised criminals turning to the internet as a vehicle for their criminality," said Sharon Lemon, head of the crime unit. The Get Safe Online campaign is a national initiative aimed at the general public that will try to combat ignorance about basic computer security. Headed by the government and the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, the campaign is also backed by companies such as eBay, Microsoft, BT and Yell. The education campaign will use a website and a national tour aimed at getting people thinking about staying safe when they use the web. The survey, conducted to support the campaign launch, found that 17% said net crime was the everyday threat they worried about most. Almost half, 49%, said businesses should tackle it and 11% think the government should take it on.The survey also found that those who were doing something to protect themselves often did not do enough. A quarter of those questioned said they had no firewall sitting between their computer and the web and 20% had no anti-virus software to stop malicious programs finding and compromising their PC. Some bad user habits were revealed by the survey too. It found that 22% of people opened attachments on e-mails from people they did not know - one of the many routes malicious hackers use to get viruses, worms and spyware onto PCs. 1,000 people across the UK were interviewed in August for the survey. More |
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