Symantec annual survey reveals UAE Internet users fear online shopping

The survey also revealed a shocking 78% of respondents who transact online do so with no protection.

These findings are a worrying increase compared to last year's results which found only 47% of respondents had security solutions in place.

Additionally for the second year hacking and credit card fraud remained a front of mind security threat even though 92% of respondents have never experienced any form of fraudulent activities.

Con Mallon, EMEA Consumer Product Marketing Director, Symantec Corporation said:

'The annual survey results demonstrate a lack of willingness on the part of the consumer to be pro-active when it comes to protecting themselves from online hackers even though there are a number of easy to install security solutions available. Consumer security products require a minimal effort once installed with ease of use and automatic updates. It is vital that consumers start making the effort to become more educated about Internet risks and protection methods so they can shop, bank and interact online in a manner that suits them with no fear.'

The annual survey sought to gain a better understanding of UAE internet user patterns, behavior and security fears affecting online usage.

The survey also looked at residents' understanding of online threats and found 89% of UAE residents do not know what a 'botnet' is, while a shocking 54% are unaware of 'spam' threats.

Symantec's latest spam report stats that spam now stands at 78.5% of all email traffic and will continue to increase in 2008. Hence education about such threats remains key to staying secure.

Symantec's latest Internet Security Threat Report, October 2007 backs up these findings by stating that the UAE still remains a prime target for malicious online activity, ranking the country 40th for the number of bot-infected computers, 66th for phishing hosts, and 51st as a source of spam.

'In the past, online security software arrived as single solutions which would protect one aspect of Internet users' online activity. However, nowadays, all-in-one solutions such as Norton 360 are available that once installed, backs up, secures and tunes the system.

Consumers need to realize that online protection is not a difficult and time-consuming task that requires constant vigilance.

There solutions available today that can take all the stress and worry away and work quietly in the background. It is simply up to the consumer now,' concluded Mallon.