Majority of Workers Ignore Risks of Web Links and Attachments in Emails
Of those questioned 93 per cent said that they knew that links, attachments, pop boxes and web pages could have spyware or other forms of malicious code embedded within them. However, 86 per cent admitted that they opened attachments and clicked on links without being sure if it was safe to do so. With spam designers becoming increasingly ingenious in creating emails that encourage people to open web-links or attachments, another worrying finding of the survey is that 76 per cent of respondents opened what they assumed to be viral marketing files, such as ‘funny’ videos, jokes and web sites.
The survey also revealed that:
- 57 % of employees click on web-links embedded in ‘gossip’ and news emails
- 64 % are happy to open links or attachments without checking authenticity or identity of the originator
A recent security audit run by Finjan for a European organisation in the finance sector, usually one of the most security-savvy marketplaces, revealed that an overwhelming 67% of security policy violations discovered over a one week period were related to spyware downloads, attempts to access spyware websites or attempts to access websites that hide executable spyware.
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[…] the interview with eWeek, Rutkowski reveals the reality of stealth malware threats and why the anti-virus industry is a leg short. On her primary machine Rutkowska runs Windows XP x64 and“use any anti-virus products to secure any of [her] machines.” The reason, as she states, “I just don’t like their approach, which is to block only known malware.”also says that “they all concentrate on finding ‘the bad’ instead of verifying that system is in a ‘good’ shape.” The combatative measures Rutkowska takespossible intrusions and infection is quite simple, she is “careful when surfing” and will “never open suspicious e-mails or PowerPoint/PDF documents.” I think all peopletake these measures, but reality is that the majority of people do not take even these simple precautions. How about you? Visit Joanne Rutkowska’s site Invisible Things Technorati Tags: Security […]
October 29th, 2006 at 5:43 pm