Experts at SophosLabs, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware
and spam analysis centers, are urging online shoppers to be safe
this holiday season and are offering security tips that, if
followed, will significantly reduce the risk of being a victim of
an online attack.
A web poll of 280 computer users, conducted by Sophos, has
revealed that 71% will shop online this holiday. According to
APACS, the UK trade association for payments, an estimated £1.2
million ($ 2.3 million USD) is lost to card fraud everyday, with an
incident of online fraud occurring every nine seconds.
Survey results
Are you doing any holiday shopping online this
year?
|
| Yes |
|
|
| No |
|
|
A report
by Sophos earlier this year showed that 75% of all phishing emails
were directed to eBay or PayPal users. These are global brands
(rather than local banks) and are used by millions of people around
the world.
"Reasonable levels of paranoia when shopping online can save you
from being targeted by cybercriminals," said Carole Theriault, senior
security consultant at Sophos. "People should treat the internet as
they would a power tool: it can take the pain out of a task,
providing it is used responsibly. Safety precautions are there for
a reason."
Security tips for online shoppers
- Ensure that a firewall, anti-virus and all software patches are
installed and up-to-date
- Enter sensitive information only from a computer you know is
secure
- Visit and make purchases only from reputable sites
- Never follow links from an unsolicited email or spam
message
- Ensure your passwords are known to you alone and are long
enough to be unguessable
* Sophos web poll, 280 respondents, November 2006
Disclaimer: Please bear in mind that this poll is not
scientific and is provided for information purposes only. Sophos
makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the results other than
that they reflect the choices of the users who participated.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.