MILLIONS OF HOME COMPUTERS MAY BE AT RISK:
CONSUMER REPORTS SURVEY FINDS NEARLY 60% DETECTED A VIRUS IN PAST TWO YEARS, AND VULNERABILITY TO HACKERS IS WIDESPREAD

Report features magazine's first tests of antivirus software and firewalls;
Advises Internet users how to protect computers from hackers and viruses

YONKERS, NY - In a survey of nearly 8,000 ConsumerReports.org subscribers, 58 percent said they had found at least one virus on their home computer in the past two years. Nearly 20 percent said they had found a virus on four or more occasions, and 10 percent said the virus had caused some kind of damage.
In the June '02 issue of Consumer Reports (CR) magazine, a special "Cyberspace Invaders" report warns consumers that hackers and viruses can trash their computer - or use it to attack banks, insurance companies, power plants, and other institutions.

The ConsumerReports.org survey also found that 40% of respondents with a high-speed Internet connection did not have a firewall to protect their computer. And the Computer Emergency Response Team, the federally funded research center at Carnegie-Mellon University that responds to attacks on the Internet, has seen several large incidents in which tens of thousands of home machines were compromised in a very short period of time.
Once a computer has been hacked-and chances are good that the user wouldn't know until it was too late-the hacker could extract enough personal information to impersonate the user or steal important financial data. An official at a consortium of electric utilities told Consumer Reports that computers controlling the nation's electric-power system have already been probed in recent months by computers in the Middle East.
But your computer and all the sensitive personal data stored on it do not have to be so vulnerable. Properly armored, the computer can become an important line of defense against cyberspace invaders. Readily available software can effectively block most hackers and viruses. Practicing good computer hygiene and constantly updating antivirus software are essential for protection.

CR offers helpful advice on how to recognize incursions and protect the computer. This report explains how prevalent and damaging viruses are. It draws on a recent survey of ConsumerReports.org subscribers and interviews with dozens of computer-security experts nationally. CR also conducted its first tests of widely used antivirus software and of antihacker products known as firewalls.

FIREWALLS HOLD OFF HACKERS: Home computer users with a high-speed Internet connection can help forestall digital disaster by installing a firewall, software or hardware designed to block intruders. A firewall makes the computer less visible on the Internet and helps ensure that hackers won't be able to get into programs and files. A computer with a slower dial-up connection is much less vulnerable to attack because of the different way in which it is identified on the Internet. CR explains three ways to equip computers with a firewall: With Windows XP, activate its built-in firewall; buy a separate software firewall; or interpose a hardware firewall between the computer and the Internet.

In its tests of firewalls, six of seven products provided excellent protection against incoming threats. For outgoing protection, most firewalls proved effective, but some others tested offered no outgoing protection. As a first choice, CR recommends ZoneAlarm Pro 3.0 or Norton Personal Firewall 2002, each $50, because they provide maximum protection and an extra margin of safety with outgoing protection.
According to the ConsumerReports.org survey results, only 7 percent of those using antivirus software suffered computer damage in an invasion. By contrast, 30 percent of those without antivirus software had their computer damaged.

ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE: Vast numbers of viruses have been reported over the years. CR tested four widely available antivirus products and recommends NortonAntiVirus 2002 and McAfee Virus Scan 6.0, each $40, because of their superior consistency and ability to detect a wider range of unfamiliar viruses. Any antivirus product must be scrupulously maintained to be assured that the user always has the latest updates.

AVOIDING VIRUS TRICKS: Most malevolent software won't infect a computer unless the user opens an email attachment. Virus distributors use various tricks to con users into clicking. To help consumers identify such tricks, CR presents a unique tutorial chart that illustrates four basic types of tricks
that have been used by well-known viruses and worms and how to handle them.

To subscribe to Consumer Reports, call 1-800-234-1645. Information and articles from Consumer Reports can be accessed online at www.ConsumerReports.org.

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JUNE 2002

The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports® is published by Consumers Union, an independent, nonprofit testing and information-gathering organization, serving only the consumer. We are a comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal finance, health, nutrition, and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, our mission has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers.

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