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Ignorance on privacy requirements leaving many open to online threats

Lack of awareness of privacy and security software and settings is leaving many internet users wide open to online threats, a privacy software expert has said.

According to research from Steganos, more than one in ten of PC and laptop users have no internet security such as anti-virus software installed at all while a further 9 per cent do not even know if they have the software in the fist place.

More worryingly over half (52 per cent) have no idea what the privacy settings on their browser are while almost one-fifth (19 per cent) of respondents do not know if they have firewalls installed.

"When you consider the alarming number of threats facing computer users today, and our reliance on the data we keep on our computers, the results of this survey are shocking," said Michael Marzy of Steganos.

"To find that consumers don't even know what software they are using strongly suggests that as an industry we need to keep educating users."

Laptop and PC users in the US and UK participated in the survey, which was conducted in July.

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