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Cyber expert says people lack basic precautions against online threats

A cyber security expert has stated that many internet users take for granted basic security precautions that can protect them from online threats.

According to James Finch, head of the FBI's Cyber Division, many individuals just "don't have the level of knowledge" required to protect them from the ever increasing threats posed by cyber crooks.

Speaking to the Washington Post, he said: "How do you as a common user keep up with the necessary safeguards? How do you configure it? Should I let this in or not? Who's going to know unless they have some basic information security knowledge?"

He also lauded government efforts to stamp ignorance from internet users through public awareness sites such as http://www.ic3.gov saying this was all the government could do without infringing on people's privacy.

"Well, what more do we do than to try to make people aware," he posed. "We can't force people to become more aware."

Cloudmark, an online security expert recently warned that hackers were becoming more advanced and some are using "convergence techniques", which combine spam, phishing and malware into a single attack.

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