Teenagers risk PC security for free downloads

Intrusion prevention and security risk management company, McAfee, has announced findings from new research which shows that Europe`s teenagers are prepared to risk their home PC security for free content.

The study of 615 teenagers aged 13-17 across six European countries (UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Italy) found that 40% are unconcerned by the risks of viruses and other threats when downloading music or video content and over half (56%) regularly use illegal file sharing sites like Kazaa and Limewire, well known sources of malicious content.

The survey also revealed there is widespread apathy and ignorance among Europe`s teenagers which is placing their own valuable digital content such as music and photos at risk from cyber criminals.

A quarter (24%) don`t worry about Internet security when they go online and a third (30%) rarely check to see if their security software is up to date. Worryingly for the rest of the family, 21% of these teenagers are entrusted with keeping the family PC secure. Other key findings from the McAfee Teenage Security Study include:

* While over half (56%) regularly use illegal file sharing Web sites such as Kazaa, only 15% actually purchase digital content from online shops such as iTunes.
* 37% of European teenagers do not scan downloaded files or e-mail attachments for viruses or other threats before opening.
* Dutch teenagers are the most carefree with 52% not worried about Internet security when they go online. They are also Europe`s biggest file sharers with nearly three-quarters (74%) regularly downloading from illegal file sharing sites.
* A quarter (26%) of German teenagers admit to giving their personal details out in Internet chatrooms.

McAfee`s research reveals a widespread ignorance among teenagers about the implications of security breaches on their PCs with 46% unaware that a breach could cause them to lose all their digitally archived items such as music and photos.

Almost half (43%) did not realise that their PC could be remotely taken over by cyber-savvy criminals and used to send spam e-mails while a third were unaware their personal information could be hacked into and stolen.

Europe`s most security-aware teens are the Brits with 72% aware that digital content could be lost through infections and 81% aware hackers could steal personal information. Whereas in France, 64% of those questioned did not realise the risks to their digital content and 45% were unaware of the risks to personal information.

While most teenagers know what a virus is, a substantial proportion is not aware of more serious and sophisticated threats. Across Europe, 79% of those questioned did not know what a phishing scam was while 45% had never heard of spyware.

Again, Europe`s most knowledgeable teens are the British with 87% aware of spyware and a third (30%) know what phishing is. This contrasts sharply with Spain where only 5% had heard of phishing scams and 31% were aware of spyware.

Many parents are totally unaware of what their children are doing online because a third of those questioned say their family PC is located within their bedrooms. This was highest in Italy (50%) and Germany (43%) while for most British and Dutch teens, the home PC is located in the living room.

"Teens are advanced and heavy Internet users but, as this research shows, they do not fully appreciate the consequences of online threats," says Chris van Niekerk, regional director of McAfee South Africa. "Parents need to understand the potential risks of having their children online, whether this is lost or stolen personal content or their own personal safety online, and educate them how to use the Internet responsibly and carefully."

McAfee makes it easy for parents to protect their home PCs from existing and future threats, helping to ensure that whatever children do online, their PC and digital content are safe. McAfee SiteAdvisor is a free tool, which identifies potentially dangerous Web sites that are known sources for spyware, adware, spam, browser attacks and online scams. With McAfee SiteAdvisor teens can stay safe while they browse and search the Internet, avoiding dangerous Websites. This easy-to-use software uses colour coded safety ratings (red, yellow and green) to highlight whether a Web site is safe to visit.

McAfee`s Internet Security Suite offers a full package of protection against viruses, hackers, spam, spyware and adware, phishing scams and identity theft. What`s more, through automatic security updates, consumers get the latest protection and don`t have the hassle of managing their security software.

Visit www.mcafee.com to find out more about McAfee`s security solutions and to download a free copy of McAfee SiteAdvisor.