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Internet security: a victim of our double standards?
You always lock your closet, home and car for their security. But are you as much concerned when it comes to security of your computer — offline and online? If you think you do, you are sadly mistaken!
Very few of us have their PCs really safe and well-protected from unauthorized persons sneaking into their systems? Still fewer use a BIOS password, or know how to use one to secure their machine.
There are several reasons for not taking safety measures, the main reason being our carefree attitude, and the common perception that there is nothing important on the PC that would be of interest form anyone. Another false perception is that since they don’t download stuff from the web, there could be no danger of a virus attack. They only realize their error when it is too late. The catastrophe can strike in any form — from a PC crash or installation of an infected file, to opening a virus-laden email or a hard-disk wipeout.
When speaking about hazards faced in an online world, nothing could be more devastating than a friend informing you that you were seen online all night long when you were actually sound asleep in your bed, dreaming about driving a brand new Jaguar! Yes, we are talking about a hacked password.
To know how people take PC security issues, specially when it comes to online activities, we conducted a survey of about 150 computer and internet users.
The findings indicates that not many users are adequately aware of security issues and are not really bothered about it. Such users are most susceptible and almost always fall prey to a new virus wave that spreads through the internet.
What makes you a victim?
The survey shows that about 11 per cent users lost their ISP password to hackers, and around 29 per cent users’ web-based email accounts, such as Hotmail, Yahoo, etc, were hacked.
For such a high percentage of accounts being hacked, there are two main reasons: (1) insecure PCs and (2) weak passwords. Only 52 per cent users were aware of the importance of alphanumeric passwords which are hard to hack. That’s why even amateur hackers can hack into accounts just by guess work.
Users usually shared their ISP and email passwords with family, friends and loved ones. This may lead to unforeseen situations. The survey showed that 34 per cent users shared internet passwords, and 42 per cent users accepted sharing their email passwords with other persons whom they trusted.
Other activities such as checking one’s email or private information from insecure sources, such as cyber cafés can also result in losing ones private data and password. To find out, if users are concerned about checking their email from outside their homes, about 47 per cent realized that this activity was insecure. On the other hand, 39 per cent of users did not believe it made any difference. The remaining 13 per cent felt more secure when using their accounts from somewhere outside their homes.
System’s built-in “auto-saving password” option, which is there to facilitate users, can be a potential security risk. The intruders can easily use this option to misuse your personal data. There are sniffers available for free that show the text behind those asterisk (saved password) fields. This can cause greater trouble if the password thus saved happens to be your universal password, or in other words, the one you use for your other accounts as well.
The survey shows that 23 per cent users relied on auto-save option in dialup networking, and 31 per cent use the same option in IMs (instant messengers, such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo, etc.).
It was a surprise to find that 51 per cent people claimed that the person who had hacked their ISP password was known to them; and 71 per cent said they knew someone in their circle who underwent the torment of losing their email password to hackers.
Going for antivirus
What do users usually turn to in order to minimize chances of getting infected by a virus? Obviously an antivirus software! The study showed that 77 per cent users had antivirus installed on their PCs, but only 65 per cent actually used it while checking email and, as most viruses find their way through emails, this is one area where users needs to re-think of their antivirus usage.
Second most common way to getting an infection is through the use of virus-ridden floppy disks which usually change hands far and wide. The survey results showed that people trusted their emails more than the data on floppy disks. Only 47 per cent said they used floppies from others for data transfer.
Running an antivirus once in a blue moon doesn’t really help. Norton recommends running full-system scan at least once a week (with virus definitions updated) to make sure the system is in best of health.
The research also focused on users’ frequency of executing the virus-scan application, and the results gave interesting reading: it said 21 per cent didn’t use the antivirus program at all; 41 per cent claimed to have the “auto-protect” feature enabled; 12 per cent scanned the system once a week; 15 per cent ran it on monthly basis; and 11 per cent checked their systems for viruses occasionally.
The study also attempted to find out how many users encountered virus attacks in the past. The results showed that 39 per cent claimed never having a virus attack, but 27 per cent said they were infected by viruses in just last month.
Not many users knew any virus by name. Amazingly, only 28 per cent were able to name a virus. The most known virus came out to be a name-variant of “love” virus, such as “I love you,” “love bug,” “fun love” and “love.” Next in the spotlight was CIH virus, which proved to be the most devastating one. It was astonishing that people even listed “Y2K-Bug” as a virus!
Hackers and crackers
Where do the crackers come from? The answer is “from amongst us.” The survey showed that as many as 25 per cent surfers accessed hacking-related websites. Those who have experienced using a Trojan were just 7 per cent.
With such a free and easy availability of Trojans, it is surprising that so few crackers used it — perhaps they didn’t know how to use them. Maybe its widespread use in the past made it known to everyone and hence it lost its appeal and effectiveness. However, those who used it in its heyday did some real serious damage.
Interestingly, almost 50 per cent of computer users taking part in the study knew someone who is actively pursuing hacking activities. When asked if they were themselves indulged in hacking into email accounts, 20 per cent accepted trying their hand at it. To these users, the most popular activity remained guessing the password and secret question.
It doesn’t require a lot to keep your PC safe. You just have to use your common sense, and equip your system with the right tools and utilities available easily on CDs.
The writer
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