UK’s Phear Of Phishing

Oh, brother. A survey over here in the UK seems to reveal that respondents are more concerned about internet crime (phishing, pharming and so on) than they are about meatspace attacks on their property or person (mugging, burglary and so on). While this indicates a heartening level of awareness of the potential risks of doing business online, it is disappointing to realise that almost all the cybercrimes mentioned can be easily prevented by the use of some software and some common sense – I for one am still far more concerned about crossing the rough side of town after dark than about checking my bank balance online – I’ve not had a mis-spelled phishing email pull a knife on me yet.