Indian internet users vulnerable to cyber fraud: Survey

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Agencies: New Delhi, Feb 02 2010, 09:34 IST

A survey* of more than 5,000 active Internet users across 10 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. Despite the exposure to cyber fraud, a majority of respondents were unaware of ways to combat it.

The survey, commissioned by VeriSign and conducted by IMRB highlighted that 60% of respondents access the Internet frequently – at least four to six times a week-and 44% shop online with 53% engaging with user generated content (e.g., social networks and blogs). Despite the Internet-savvy of the respondents, the survey further revealed:

- 38% of survey respondents use the same passwords for multiple log-ins

- 11% look out for the authenticity of the Web site by looking at the security provider

- 32% create a secret question that only they can answer

- 83% do not look for secure Web sites (https:)

Additionally, an overwhelming 84% would like to use two factor authentication (2FA) to secure their online transactions. 2FA is a verification process in which an additional dynamic password is generated at the log in stage by a device such as a credit-card form factor, token or mobile phone in addition to the user name and password.

"As we move more of our lives online, fraud threats follow closely behind,” said Dr. Shekhar Kirani, Country Manager, VeriSign India. “This study clearly indicates that while users may be unaware of

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