Consumers and businesses in the U.S., the U.K., Germany and France—though less so in the U.S.—are willing to take security risks on the Internet in order to reap the benefits of online transactions, RSA Security reports in a new Internet Confidence Index.
Consumers, however, say they feel somewhat less confident about online security than do businesses, the index says. The index based its findings on a 39-question survey distributed online to 601 businesses and 603 consumers in the four countries in September and December 2005.
"It is not surprising that business users feel more secure online than consumers, with an array of firewalls and other defensive measures in place around them, but it is astonishing to see the extent to which both groups are willing to assume some level of risk in their transactions," said Art Coviello, president and CEO of RSA Security. "In the pursuit of convenience and cost-savings, businesses and their customers are knowingly making themselves more vulnerable to identity theft. The message here is that security is failing to keep pace with what end-users wish to do online."
On a scale of -100 to +100, consumers showed a security index score of 5, compared to a transaction score of 37, while businesses had a security index score of 22 and a transaction score of 55. The security score indicates the level of confidence in Internet security; the transaction score indicates the willingness to participate in online transactions.
The survey found that consumers and businesses in the U.S. are less trustful of Internet security than are their counterparts in Europe. “American businesses and consumers are far more concerned than Europeans about network vulnerability and third parties fraudulently accessing information,” RSA said. “67% of U.S. businesses reported degrees of concern about the vulnerability of their networks, much higher than the European average of 37%. And almost half of U.S. consumers stated that that they have little or no confidence that several groups (including government, organizations setting security standards, ISPs and computer manufacturers) are taking the necessary steps to secure personal data.”
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