A survey of more than 5,000 active Internet users across ten cities in India suggests that users are becoming increasingly concerned about online security. Ninety-one per cent of the respondent Internet users have experienced some case of cyber fraud, such as phishing, key logging, identity theft and account takeover. But despite that a majority of respondents were unaware of the ways to combat it.
The survey, commissioned by VeriSign and conducted by IMRB, highlighted that 60% of respondents access the Internet frequently and 44% shop online with 53% engaging with user generated content. The report also suggested that an overwhelming 84% would like to use two-factor authentication (2FA) to secure their online transactions.
"As we move more of our lives online, fraud threats follow closely behind,β said Dr Shekhar Kirani, Country Manager, VeriSign India. βThis study clearly indicates that while users may be unaware of how to protect themselves online, their desire to be safe is high. The key is to keep one step ahead by knowing how to protect ourselves online, embracing best practices and using the latest technologies.β
To spread awareness and knowledge to combat cyber fraud, VeriSign has compiled five tips for its users. Firstly, it asks users to look for simple visual cues that show that the site is authenticated and protected which include a green address bar in high-security browsers such as Internet Explorer 7 and 8, Firefox 3.0 and higher, Opera 9.X and higher, Google Chrome, Safari 3.2, Safari 4, Flock and the iPhone. Secondly, checking out two-factor authentication hinders potential fraudsters from accessing personal accounts that are accessed by a simple user name and password by adding a second factor of user authentication. Verisign also asks users to compare the checkout experience to well-known sites and look for anomalies and also to know their vendor well. Lastly, the user is warned to pay attention to the order form. Data such as social security number, bank routing number, etc. should not be collected.
