Asian consumers anxious over social networking security
ConvergenceAsia staff
21/01/2010

RSA, The Security Division of EMC, has announced the results of its 2010 Global Online Consumer Security Survey that polled more than 4,500 consumers between the ages of 18 and 65, regarding their awareness of online threats, concerns with the safety of their personal information online and their willingness to share it, and desire for better identity protection.

The survey, conducted in October 2009 by market research firm InfoSurv, represented respondents from 22 countries across North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Across Asia, over 1,000 respondents participated and were represented from the following countries: China, India, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. Among those surveyed, the vast majority regularly visit and interact with sites such as online banking, social networking and government and healthcare portals, with 92 per cent conducting an online banking transaction and 80 per cent making an online purchase in the last month.

A vast majority of Asian consumers are concerned about the security of the websites they visit and about their information being accessed or stolen on those sites; most feel some form of stronger security, beyond a simple username and password, should be implemented at the websites they interact with on a regular basis.

Fraudsters continue to fine-tune their array of tactics that result in millions of computers becoming infected with Trojans and other malware, said Christopher Young, Senior Vice President at RSA. "These online criminals are adept at social engineering with at-the-ready phishing attacks that are launched within moments of breaking news about popular celebrities, professional athletes or serious global events. In these cases, people are lured to legitimate websites infected with malware as well as complete fakes designed to look like well-known news sources.”

Three out of four respondents in Asia were aware of phishing, and consumers in these regions expressed great concern, with 97 per cent stating they were “somewhat to very concerned” with the threat of phishing, higher than the 89 per cent among global respondents.

The number of consumers who reported that they were “very concerned” was much higher in some countries than in others – 77 per cent in India and 73 per cent in Singapore stated they were “very concerned” with phishing, while only 52 per cent in Malaysia and 32 per cent in Japan responded likewise.

Among the Asian countries surveyed, only just under 6 per cent in Japan have been victims of a phishing attack, while China posted the highest number of casualties at 50 per cent, just second to Italy’s globe-topping 59 per cent. Singapore was the second lowest in Asia at 27 per cent.

The cause for concern in some countries might be attributed to a rapid increase in their online banking population leading to an increase in the number of phishing attacks targeted at consumers.

Consumers in Asia expressed overwhelmingly that they were “somewhat to very concerned” with their personal information being accessed or stolen at their online banking site (94 per cent). This was slightly higher than the 86 per cent of global respondents.

While consumers in Asia were highly concerned about their information being accessed or stolen at the various online sites they visit, they were not as hesitant to submit their personal information to those sites. For example, while 92 per cent of users expressed concern about their personal information being accessed or stolen at their online banking site, only 75 per cent said those concerns might impact their willingness to submit personal information or interact with the site.

Young continued, "Consumer education and awareness is one of the first lines of defense in the ongoing battle against online crime. Organisations will continue to take advantage of the many benefits offered by the Internet and consumers will seek the convenience offered online - all despite the inherent risks. In order to maximise the full value of what the online world can offer, organisations need to take a layered approach to Internet security in order to best protect their customers' information."

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