NIC.br presents ICT Households 2007 modules on Network Security, Email, and Spam

29% of internet users reported having faced security problems on the network; this proportion increases according to education level and income

The Brazilian Network Information Center - NIC.br (https://www.nic.br), presents the numbers on Network Security, Email Usage, and Spam from the 3rd Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Brazil, the ICT Households 2007. The survey gathers indicators on the availability and use of the Internet to evaluate and monitor the network's development in the country.

"The initiative aims to monitor the evolution of the Internet in Brazil and provide input for developing public policies that ensure access and use of the network, as well as democratic participation of citizens and countries in the knowledge society," says Mariana Balboni, manager of CETIC.br (Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technologies).

Check all the details at: https://www.cetic.br/usuarios/tic/2007/destaques-seguranca-tic-2007.pdf

All the results of the survey are available at https://www.cetic.br/

Network Security
The proportion of internet users who reported experiencing some type of security problem on the network was 29% in 2007, indicating a three percentage point annual increase compared to the two previous surveys conducted by CETIC.br. "The growth trend is evident even considering that new generations of malware are increasingly difficult to detect once they infect a computer," explains Mariana.

According to the CETIC.br manager, the proportion of people who claimed to have faced some security issue when using the Internet increases with higher education levels and family income brackets. "In 2007, 46% of respondents with higher education stated they had encountered some security problem, whereas only 12% of illiterate individuals or those with up to kindergarten education noticed such issues," she points out.

Another important aspect related to the incidence of problems is connected to the frequency of Internet use. The survey indicates that 43% of those who used the network daily reported facing security problems compared to 14% of those who used the Internet once a week. "This suggests that the perception of problems is related to frequent network use, which in turn is also associated with socioeconomic factors: it is precisely individuals with higher income and education who use the network more frequently," comments Mariana.

Most security problems reported in 2007 pertained to virus attacks, accounting for 27% of internet users' declarations (or 94% of all issues cited). Although viruses are exclusively referenced among all malicious codes, it's worth noting that this category also includes Trojans, Worms, Bots, Keyloggers, and Spywares, which are often confused with a virus by users. Second are issues related to the misuse of personal information sent or made available online, with 2% of declarations, followed by banking, credit card, or other types of financial fraud (1%).

The use of antivirus software as a security measure was mentioned by 75% of respondents who have a computer at home, a still small number considering that this is a basic security measure. However, this percentage is higher than the 2006 figure, when the practice was adopted by only 70% of internet users.

Email Usage
In 2007, 83% of those who used the Internet in the three months prior to the survey had an email account; in 2005, this percentage was 73%. "The growth indicates that email has become a more popular means of communication in recent years, accompanying the use of the Internet for communication activities, which increased from 78% in 2006 to 89% in 2007," analyzes Mariana.

The survey highlights another significant fact, the popularization of email due to the growth of free email accounts, which reached 76% of internet users in 2007.

Spam
Almost half of the people with email accounts reported receiving spam (48%), a figure that has remained relatively constant over the last three years, despite the efforts of paid and free email providers to filter unsolicited messages.

In the opinion of the individuals who reported receiving spam, the biggest problem was unnecessary time consumption (69%). Second was the inconvenience caused by inappropriate or offensive content (33%). 21% of respondents mentioned facing issues with the loss of important emails or files. Only 10% pointed out costs related to anti-spam protection programs, connection time, etc. Interestingly, despite the majority of users being annoyed, there is a proportion of respondents who receive spam and stated they enjoy receiving it (20%).

Methodology
Produced by the Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technologies (CETIC.br), the study was conducted from September to November 2007 and surveyed 17,000 households in urban areas, interviewing people aged 10 and older in the country's five regions. The sample was designed based on the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics - IBGE.

The survey was conducted in partnership with Ipsos Public Affairs and maintained the international methodological standard of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union). ICT 2007 also had the collaboration of the Observatory for the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean (OSILAC), from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which works with the development of key Information and Communication Technology indicators approved at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005.

About CETIC.br
The Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technologies - CETIC.br - is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, publishing periodic analyses and information on the network's development in the country.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center - NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center - NIC.br (https://www.nic.br) is a non-profit civil entity created to implement the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee - CGI.br (https://www.cgi.br), which is responsible for coordinating and integrating Internet service initiatives in the country. NIC.br is responsible for domain name registration - Registro.br (https://www.registro.br), the Center for Studies, Response, and Treatment of Security Incidents in Brazil - CERT.br (https://www.cert.br), the Center for Studies and Research in Network Technology and Operations - CEPTRO.br (https://www.ceptro.br), and the Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technologies - CETIC.br (https://www.cetic.br), whose objective is to produce and disseminate information and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in the country.

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and the dissemination of services offered.

More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

Press contacts - CGI.br:
S2 Integrated Communication - https://www.s2.com.br
Veronica Cassavia - veronicac@s2.com.br
José Luiz Schiavoni (MTb 14.119) - joseluiz@s2.com.br

This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.