They also fear cybercrime three times more than burglary, said
market reseachers Ipsos,
who surveyed 1,000 US citizens for anti-malware supplier
AVG Technologies.
Ipsos found that 57% said that they thought they were more
likely be the victims of cybercrime with only 21% saying they would
suffer a burglary. Nine of 10 users agreed that cybertheft is a
concern.
These results linked to two key trends, the firm said. These
were the very high use of the internet for increasingly sensitive
transactions, and low levels of protection despite the widespread
concern over cyber-related crime.
Ipsos found three in four users shop online and two in three
bank and pay their bills online. But 15% did not know when security
software was installed on their computers.
Although 57% of users surveyed said they expected to be victims
of cybercrime or theft, three-quarters felt confident that their
internet security provider protecting them.
AVG Technologies CEO JR Smith said, "In the space of a few
years, the nature of the threat has changed from a sport to
professional criminal activity. The challenge for us now is to
deliver security with a light touch that does not stifle
innovation."