14 DAY TRIAL // A survey issued by G Data Security Labs shows that even though in the first six months of the year 1.2 million new pieces of malware were identified, users still fail to install security solutions on their devices while utilizing the internet.
The figures show that while almost half the internet users rely on paid solutions to protect themselves against online threats, 44% trust their safekeeping in the hands of free security software.
"Internet users who do not use powerful security solutions to protect themselves from malware and cyber attacks are at risk of falling victim to online criminals," says Eddy Willems, G Data security evangelist.
"Users can only protect themselves, if they use comprehensive security software. In addition to virus protection, this should include technologies for detecting unknown malware, as well as real-time protection from unknown malicious code," he added.
"Security packages that include an integrated firewall, an anti-spam module and a web filter provide the best protection. In such suites, all security components have been harmonised with each other, closely interlinked, thereby providing the best possible protection against any type of attack."
Other findings show that worldwide 11% don't use any kind of protection when navigating on the internet and while this may not seem much, the number of potential victims is enough for cybercriminals to make a hefty profit.
About 10% of those who rely on protection applications to secure their assets don't actually know if they use a complete security suit of a free variant.
Researchers are concerned due to the fact that 40% of global customers have the misconception that a free AV solution is just as good as a paid one. What many don't know is that free software isn't as efficient because it doesn't offer all the enhanced protection features such as http filtering, powerful firewalls and anti-phishing modules.