Report: Most Broadband Users Lack Basic Security

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/2217421

By Matt Villano 
June 4, 2003 

Is your computer as safe from hackers and viruses as it could be? Even
if you think it is, you might be wrong.

According to a report released Wednesday by the National Cyber
Security Alliance, most broadband cable customers lack the most basic
protections against the dangers of a persistent connection to the
Internet. The report also highlights a major perception gap on the
issue of broadband security - while most consumers believe they have
taken adequate steps to protect their computer, only 11 percent
actually have safe and securely configured systems.

Experts blame this disconnect on a lack of education. Tatiana Gau,
Chief Trust Officer and Senior Vice President for Integrity Assurance
at America Online, says that while most consumers are aware of
security threats such as viruses and hackers, few of them have
identified specifically how to tackle these threats head-on and make
certain that their personal systems are secure.

"Without even knowing they are unsafe, millions of high-speed users
are putting themselves and their families at risk by having
unprotected broadband," Gau said in a statement released with the
report. "A basic broadband connection without protection can be the
equivalent of a high-speed sewage pipe into the home."

With this in mind, some of the key findings of the report include:


* 86 percent of consumers say they keep sensitive health, financial, 
  or personal information on their home computers. 

* 97 percent of parents with broadband connections do not use parental 
  controls to keep their children safe from inappropriate content and 
  contact with strangers on the Internet. 

* 91 percent of users have intrusion software, or "spyware," on their 
  home computers, much of it uploaded surreptitiously by music or file 
  sharing programs. 

* Although 76 percent of consumers have anti-virus software on their 
  computers, only half of that group has updated their software in the 
  past month. 

* Only 33 percent of all computer users have a properly configured and 
  secure firewall, meaning two out of every three broadband homes are 
  not secure. 

Experts focus on this last point as one of the most critical
statistics in the report as a whole. Properly installed firewalls,
though they slow computer performance significantly, are considered
some of the best protectors against the dangers of the Internet today.  
As former Century Communications CEO Bern Gallagher explains it to
internetnews.com, few, if any, broadband services offer firewall
protection on the server-side, meaning that individual customers must
use individual firewall technology to protect their information at
home.

"The way hackers work, they break into a [broadband] system and go
sequentially right down the customer list," said Gallagher, who now
consults on broadband issues for a variety of smaller cable firms.  
"Firewalls stop these guys cold... if they hit one, they just give up
and go on to the next computer."

Gallagher says that many broadband service providers offer free
firewall products upon request. The Alliance also recommends
automatically or regularly updated anti-virus software programs, as
well as parental control software for households that include children
who may be subjected to inappropriate content through spam.

The report summarizes a study conducted for the Alliance in the homes
of 120 typical broadband consumers by technical experts from AOL. The
entire study, entitled "Fast and Present Danger," as well as a list of
security precautions broadband consumers can take to make their
connections more secure, can be accessed online through the Alliance's
"Stay Safe Online" [1] campaign Web site.

[1] http://www.staysafeonline.info/



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