2009 Antispyware Coalition Public Workshop

Transcription

1 2009 Antispyware Coalition Public Workshop Jeffrey Fox Technology Editor, Consumer Reports Media contact: Lauren Hackett,

2 Background For several years, Consumer Reports has been testing and rating antispam and other protection software Antivirus Antispam Anti-spyware

3 In September 2004, we began publishing the annual Consumer Reports State of the Net report Based on a nationally representative survey measuring the incidence and costs to American consumers of spam, viruses, spyware, and phishing scams Conducted by the

4 Results of the 2009 Consumer Reports State of the Net survey appear in the June, 2009 issue of CONSUMER REPORTS and at ConsumerReports.org.

5 The June 2009 CONSUMER REPORTS also features our 8 th annual investigative report on U.S. cybersecurity, plus Ratings of the latest security software. (Ratings are available online to ConsumerReports.org subscribers)

6 We also offer a free Online Security Guide at: ConsumerReports.org/security

7 The big picture: A summary of how cybercrime has affected U.S. consumers over the past five years

8 Consumer Net Threats: Number of U.S. Households that have experienced serious online problems (millions) HEAVY SPAM COSTLY VIRUS INFECTION COSTLY SPYWARE INFECTION PHISHING (Lost $/acct. misused) PHISHING (Disclosed personal info) Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net

9 The cost: staggering 9.0 Cost to U.S. Consumers ($ billions) (over previous two years) PHISHING (Lost $) SPYWARE VIRUS Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net

10 How does spyware affect U.S. consumers?

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12 Online households where someone was harrassed or harmed by someone monitoring their online activities (projected) Significant malicious monitoring of online consumers Someone in household harrassed or harmed due to online monitoring 1,000, , , , , , , , , Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net

13 Are spyware infections on the rise or declining?

14 Percent with spyware infection in past 6 months Fewer spyware infections Incidence of Spyware Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

15 How many consumers are protecting themselves against spyware?

16 Percent using spyware detection or removal software Most use anti-spyware software Anti-spyware use Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

17 A six-year analysis of our surveys provides some other GOOD NEWS: Consumers are getting smarter about protecting their computers against spam, hackers, and viruses

18 Percent receiving spam in past month who clicked on a link in it to request removal from the list Fewer are clicking on links in spam Trying to Stop Spam by Clicking on an Opt-out Link Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

19 Percent receiving spam in past month who replied to it to request removal from the list Fewer are replying to spam Trying to Stop Spam by Replying to it Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

20 Percent who used a spam-blocking filter on their computer Many use a spam blocker Use of a Spam-Blocking Filter Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

21 Percent who had a firewall installed on their computer Most are using a firewall Firewall Use Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

22 Percent using antivirus software Many use an antivirus Antivirus use Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

23 But our analysis also provides some BAD NEWS: A lot of consumers still engage in behaviors that help the bad guys

24 Percent receiving spam in past month who ordered a product or service advertised in spam Many still patronize spammers Patronizing Spammers Year Note: 2009 figure represents more than 1/2 million households Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

25 Percent submitting personal info in response to an that was found fraudulent and many still respond to phishers Percent who Submitted Personal Info to a Phishing-style Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

26 Percent who never click on a link in from financial institution that refers to their own account Too few are savvy enough to avoid links embedded in Avoiding risky links in Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

27 Percent who turn off the computer when not in use Only half turn off their PC Turning off the computer Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

28 Here are some of our most recent findings

29 Online households that received more than 25 spam text messages on their cell phone in the past 6 mos. (projected) Millions Cell-phone spam Not as widespread as spam Prevalence of heavy cell-phone spam Year Source: Consumer Reports State of the Net,

30 Online Identity Theft We project close to 2 million households suffered ID theft in the past year due to Internet-related activity Most common cause: Online shopping Other causes: hackers, scam , and online financial transaction Source: Consumer Reports 2009 State of the Net

31 Social networks 36 percent of online households use them 13 percent of respondents who use them reported some type of abuse Most common of these abuses: Spammers using one s friends list to send junk mail Other abuses: Unauthorized use of a profile; malware infection from a downloaded application Source: Consumer Reports 2009 State of the Net

32 Twitter spam Social networks become a new platform for cybercrime Fake celebrity postings on LinkedIn leads users to malware Source: My personal In-box

33 You can help Consumer Reports continue our research: We are planning our 2010 State of the Net Survey. We welcome suggestions. Please send them to Jeff Fox at: