by Mary J. Culnan

Every business connected to the Internet is vulnerable to attacks launched from any other computer with an Internet connection. Unsecured home computers are being used unknowingly as launching pads for attacks that cripple business and government networks. Increasingly, these attacks are directed at businesses for the purpose of ill-gotten economic gains, and represent a new threat to our national security because they make key resources unavailable.

Because every computer connected to the Internet is effectively connected to every other computer on the Internet -- across the globe -- it is extremely important for home PC users to adopt security measures.

This year, two of my colleagues at Bentley College and I conducted the Bentley Survey on Consumers and Internet Security to help understand the behavior and motivation of different segments of the public as a basis to help market safe computing practices.

In July 2004, Harris Interactive, working on behalf of Bentley, conducted an online survey of 2,952 U.S. adults who access the Internet from home. We found that the majority were concerned about Internet security -- for example, 70 percent of the respondents reported being “concerned” or “very concerned” that hackers might use home computers to spread a virus over the Internet.

However, the public exhibits low levels of knowledge about Internet security threats, and many engage in risky behaviors. For example, 49 percent of the survey participants said they were not knowledgeable about security flaws in Internet browsers, and 40 percent of the respondents who had installed a wireless network in their home reported that they were not knowledgeable about security weaknesses in home wireless networks. Sixty percent reported that they open email or files from an unknown source at least occasionally.

Most important, ISPs and employers are missing key opportunities to educate their customers and staff about security. On November 17, 2004, Bentley held a public workshop to discuss the implications of the Bentley Survey. The panelists concluded that businesses of any size can make an important contribution to a more secure Internet by taking the following steps:

• Conducting education and awareness campaigns
• Distributing security software to their employees for use at home
• Making sure that employee laptops are not used introduce viruses into corporate networks

Additional information about the survey and the workshop are available on the Bentley Web site.

Mary Culnan is Slade Professor of Management and Information Technology at Bentley College in Waltham, Mass.

 

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