Ignorance Puts U.S. Internet Users At Risk

A recent study shows that a vast majority of U.S. residents who use the Internet are clueless about some of the basic threats that face them. The University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center conducted the study by asking 17 true and false questions of 1,500 adult Americans. In the study, almost half of the participants were not aware of what a phishing scam was or that a malicious attacker might create a duplicate web site of a well-known bank or online merchant in order to collect their identity information. For more of the scary details, see this article in ComputerWorld: Study: U.S. residents at risk for online exploitation. You're here reading this, so hopefully by frequenting this site we can count you among the Americans who would have fared better on this study. To protect yourself and everyone else using the Internet, share the wealth. Spread the word to family and friends. Tell them about this and other security sites. Get them to sign up for my weekly newsletter. Urge them to go into the Forums and ask questions so that they can learn. The Internet will be a much safer place for us all.