A study that has been carried out by McAfee has revealed that 1 in 6 computers that are connected to the internet do not have adequate security software installed. This staggering statistic suggests that people from all over the world still have a lax attitude towards data security and continue to put their data at an unnecessary risk by having a blasé attitude towards data security.
The results of this study were collected through a free diagnostic tool, McAfee Security Scan Plus. This tool scanned the user’s PC for security threats, antivirus and firewall defences. This included Windows PC users from 24 countries with between 27 and 28 million users on average participating in this study each month. The results revealed that 17% of all the computers that were involved in this study either had no firewall and antivirus software installed or they have been disabled.
The findings of the report revealed that PC owners in the USA are some of the worst for not protecting their PCs with an antivirus and firewall. The USA was ranked in the bottom five with 19.32% of those who were involved in the study, leaving their PCs exposed as they had no standard security settings in place.
The results from this study should not be considered as a conclusive trend as many of those who installed the diagnostic tool, McAfee Security Scan Plus, did so because they may have already had a problem with their computer. Considering this, the percentage of those who do not have adequate security measures in place is more than likely to be inflated. However, this data is still vital as it has revealed that many people still have a very relaxed attitude towards computer security and the security of their data.
McAfee believe that many people still do not have adequate security in place on their computers because the feel that they will not be affected and that they will not be hit by a virus. In a blog post, McAfee stated “Many consumers still believe that by simply sticking to known ‘safe’ sites, they’ll be protected from all forms of malicious content. The fact is: the prevalence of sophisticated attacks is rising at an alarming rate. Furthermore, with the adoption of smartphones and tablets, mobile malware has become an immediate threat due to easily accessible personal data like financial and credit card information stored on mobile devices.”
