Security: “Study: PEBKAC still a serious problem when it comes to PC security”

Study: PEBKAC still a serious problem when it comes to PC security
Click title for rest of article at ArsTechnica.com…

Eric Bangeman
October 01, 2007

Today is the start of National Cyber Security Awareness Month in the US, and to mark the beginning of the month’s efforts, security software vendor McAfee and the National Cyber Security Alliance (which has a useful section on Cyber Security Basics) have released a new study meant to draw attention to smart practices in computer security. What the study shows is that many users are at risk from malware without realizing it, due to overestimating the amount of protection they have along with lax updating habits.

The study shows the frustrations of many a helpdesk worker, who all too often find that while security tools are in place on client PCs, they’re not well maintained. Or, to put it another way, one of the biggest problems securing the PC happens to be its most important component: the one sitting between the chair and keyboard.

We can take comfort in that fact that a whopping 98 percent of those participating in the study realize that it’s important to have up-to-date security software on their PCs. 87 percent of the users contacted said they used antivirus software, while 70 percent use anti-spyware software. Less used were firewalls and anti-phishing tools. Only 64 percent of those surveyed by McAfee and the NCSA reported having their firewalls turned on, and only 27 percent use software designed to stop phishing attempts.