New Survey Reveals Internet Users Are Bombarded By Online Attacks

Washington State Attorney General, Oct 26, 2006

Vancouver, WA – Vancouver senior Joe Macher’s Internet search started with a few simple words, “Free Kids Games.” Unfortunately, the files and programs his grandkids downloaded while they played online were anything but kids play.

“The games looked fun and innocent enough,” said Macher. “But in the background, someone was busy loading up my machine with spyware, adware and viruses.”

The illicit files Macher’s grandkids downloaded during just a few hours of online gaming crashed his computer. After days of trying to fix the problem himself, Macher had no choice but to pay a professional tech service to clean his computer and reinstall all of his software.

Unfortunately, Macher isn’t alone. According to a new survey by AARP, Washington Web surfers are bombarded by online attacks. AARP issued findings from its new survey, “Caught in the Net,” as part of a new statewide “Cyber Safety” consumer protection partnership with the Attorney General’s Office, Microsoft, and the Federal Trade Commission.

Attorney General Rob McKenna joined nearly 400 Portland and Southwest Washington seniors who packed the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay on June 14 to hear from computer and online safety experts. The stop was the sixth on a series of free half-day seminars conducted in cities throughout the state.

Participants learned how to protect themselves against the latest online crimes, including phishing scams, viruses and spyware. They also learned of the Attorney General’s Office latest law enforcement efforts, including a recent lawsuit to protect consumers from spyware deception.

If you’re connected to the Internet, computer security experts estimate that your computer is attacked approximately 300 times per hour by spyware, viruses and other unwanted software – a far cry from the 25 or fewer hourly attacks that half of Washington Internet users thought to be true.

According to the survey, almost all Washington Internet users (89 percent) report that they have received spam and nearly half (45 percent) have received phishing emails. Half (46 percent) say they have found spyware on their computers and four in 10 (38 percent) report that they have discovered viruses or worms on their computers.