36.9 percent of Spanish home computers harbor Trojans, andhalf of the users of these computers do not know that they are infected, according to the latest report from the National Institute of Communication Technologies (INTECO): “Information security and e-trust in Spanish homes.”
The research has been based on the opinion of more than 3,500 home Internet users and more than 6,000 remote security audits of home computers. One of its main conclusions is that more than 27 percent of users say they consciously perform some risky practice when browsing the Internet, such as downloading suspicious files and opening unsafe pages or links. While 20 percent reported having problems related to computer viruses and Trojans, the contrast with remote audits revealed that they are indeed45 percent of home computers host some kind of malicious code, and 36.9 percent of the total equipment audited were Trojans. This indicates that half of the users who host some type of malware are unaware of it.
On the other hand, theuse of computer security measuresit has increased in the last five years. Nine out of ten users use some type of antivirus program, and security habits have also grown when making purchases or banking.on-line, such asenter the bank’s web addressor have it stored as a favorite. This prevents someone from impersonating the original page and stealing user passwords. On social networks, more and more people restrict access to their information, and only 8.3 percent keep their profile accessible to everyone. Despite this, 5.6 percent of users declare having been a victim of identity theft.
On the other hand, the majority of the citizens surveyed believe that the Administration should be more involved in aspects related to Internet security, through the provision of free tools, a closer monitoring of what happens on the Internet and the adaptation of the legislation to cover new technological crimes.
