One in Four Users Don’t Take Precautions Against Phishing Scams

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Almost one in three Internet users enters confidential data – including financial info – on sites without checking they are authentic. These are the findings of the Consumer Security Risks Survey 2013 which was conducted by the analytical company B2B International in cooperation with Kaspersky Lab. This lax approach to security plays into the hands of cybercriminals who create fake versions of popular websites to steal user credentials.

Phishing, or the creation of fake sites imitating those of popular companies to harvest personal data, is a highly popular Internet scam. A significant proportion of phishing sites (about one in five) are created to steal financial information.

Often, though, users overlook this threat and fail to take adequate measures to protect themselves online. In the study 28% admitted they do not check the security status of the sites where they enter confidential information. 24% said they had never heard of tools capable of checking the legitimacy of a web resource or preventing data leaks.

IHLS – Israel Homeland Security

When users open an online banking or payment service site, Services such as the Kaspersky Lab Safe Money check its legitimacy and the authenticity of the digital certificates securing the connection. If the site is in the trusted URLs database and the certificate is recognized as authentic, the browser switches into a safe mode. This mode precludes any possibility of malware intercepting user interaction with the site. This technology also prevents Trojans from reading data entered from the keyboard. All this ensures users can safely manage their personal finances online.

The B2B International survey found that 62% of respondents had encountered at least one online threat to their financial assets, and 41% of those who lost money after an online attack never recovered the stolen sum. Therefore, users are advised to be cautious while surfing the web and to use a reliable security solution that includes a secure payment technology – this combination will help avoid financial losses.