YNOT EUROPE – IT and internet security increasingly are obtained from online providers. According to a survey by Bitkom, one out of every three users employs a security package from an internet source.

Online IT providers integrate internet security features directly into existing products, meaning virus alerts and firewalls are offered to customers free of charge when they purchase other services. The vast majority of consumers appear to appreciate the approach. Overall, almost three quarters of internet users employ some kind of anti-virus protection, and more than 70 percent use a firewall, which checks a computer’s data traffic for security risks.

One out of three people, however, is surfing without virus protection or firewall. On a global level, individual users are affected by cyber crimes more often than businesses.

Here are some more statistics about internet security:

• More than 70 percent of all Germans 14 and older use the internet, and more than half of them (54 percent) have experienced criminal incidents online
• Forty percent have experienced problems with viruses
• One out of eight people (six million) has been scammed while shopping online.
• One out of six people (eight million) has reported attempts to steal their personal data. Currently, the most frequently sought data comprises access codes for internet shops and communities

Because of these security concerns, many users practice extreme caution and avoid at least some online transactions. Almost 40 percent send confidential information and documents via postal mail, not email. About one in four (28 percent) avoids online banking for security reasons, and one in eight people (13 percent) declines to belong to social networks.

Sixteen percent of Germans refuse to engage in any online transactions whatsoever.