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The Ten Most Dangerous Things Users Do Online


1. Clicking on Email Attachments From Unknown Senders

We know, we know. Haven't we beaten this one to death already? With all the computer training courses, news reports, magazine articles, and memos from the IT department, are there any users left out there who don't know they aren't supposed to open email attachments from strangers?

Apparently, there are. IT managers, consultants, and other experts maintain that of all the dangerous things corporate end users do, opening email attachments is still the most potentially damaging. Even with today's new range of exploits, email attachments are still the most likely means of contracting viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other infections. And because these attachments usually contain applications or executable files, they have the greatest potential to instigate the complete takeover -- or destruction -- of an enterprise PC.

But shouldn't end users know this by now? An August survey by security software vendor Finjan offers an interesting perspective. In a straw poll of 142 U.K. office workers, Finjan found that 93 percent of respondents knew that attachments and links found in email messages could contain spyware or other forms of malicious code embedded in them.

The problem isn't that users don't know the risks -- it's that they can't help themselves, Finjan said. In the survey, 86 percent of the workers admitted they open attachments and click on links without being sure if it's safe to do so. And despite frequent warnings, 76 percent of those surveyed said they routinely open what they assume to be viral marketing files, such as funny videos, jokes, or Websites.

"It's still the most dangerous thing end users do," says Richard Stiennon, founder of IT-Harvest, an IT consulting firm.


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