Media Alert: Increased Online Shopping Activity During the Holidays May Put Consumers at Risk for Internet Threats.New Survey Conducted by Harris Interactive Harris Interactive (NASDAQ: HPOL) is an American market research company that specializes in public opinion research using both telephone and surveys on online panels. The company is the product of a 1996 merger between the Gordon S. Black Company and Louis Harris & Associates. ([R]) and Commissioned by Check Point Reveals Adults Do Not Feel Safer Online This Holiday Season REDWOOD CITY Redwood City, city (1990 pop. 66,072), seat of San Mateo co., W Calif., on San Francisco Bay; inc. 1868. Manufactures include commmunications, electrical, electronic, and medical equipment. , Calif. -- A newly published survey conducted by Harris Interactive([R]) and commissioned by Check Point Software Technologies (Nasdaq:CHKP CHKP Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (stock abbreviation, AMEX) ), makers of the popular ZoneAlarm Internet Security ''This article or section is being rewritten at Internet security is the process of protecting data and privacy of devices connected to internet from information robbery, hacking, malware infection and unwanted software. Suite, reveals that most online adults (84 percent) do not feel safer when computing online this year compared to last year. Yet holiday shopping continues to proliferate pro·lif·er·ate v. To grow or multiply by rapidly producing new tissue, parts, cells, or offspring. , with the number of shopping transactions nearly tripling during the holidays. The survey shows that most online adults (91 percent) shop online, and many (39 percent) do so at least once a month. Online shoppers, on average, complete about 2 shopping transactions in a typical month. However, this figure nearly triples to about 6 shopping transactions during the holidays. During a year when cases of identity theft and security breaches topped the headlines, the survey also revealed that online adults may not be taking the necessary steps to secure their personal computer (PC) against Internet threats. About three in four online adults (74 percent) have not installed a hardware firewall, and about half (53 percent) have neglected to install a software firewall. Less than one in four (22%) have installed a security software suite to protect against spyware and viruses. When making purchases online, 97 percent of online shoppers use their credit card to complete transactions, however, 44 percent do not always check for security symbols when making purchases. "As we begin the holiday shopping season this year, we want consumers to understand that Internet security is no longer only about protecting your PC, it's about protecting you. Even with all the hype surrounding ID theft and hacking attacks, the online population is still largely unaware of steps to take in order to protect themselves," said Laura Yecies, general manager of Check Point's ZoneAlarm consumer division. "Defending oneself online takes a multi-pronged approach, with Internet security software being the first line of defense. It's also critical that consumers arm themselves with the knowledge to combat the social engineering tactics such as fraud and e-mail phishing Pronounced "fishing," it is a scam to steal valuable information such as credit card and social security numbers, user IDs and passwords. Also known as "brand spoofing," an official-looking e-mail is sent to potential victims pretending to be from their ISP, bank or retail establishment. ." Check Point continues its commitment to keeping consumers safe online with the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite. In the latest version released in June 2006, the suite integrated a new comprehensive identity theft solution as well as a powerful anti-fraud tool called Spy Site Blocking. The ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite also includes proactive antivirus and anti-spyware protection, privacy features and parental controls This article is about computer options. For the television show, see Parental Control (TV series). Parental controls are options, typically included in digital television services, computer and video games, or computer software used to access the Internet, that . The survey also shows that 72 percent of adults computing online feel as safe now as they did at this time last year, and 13 percent feel less safe. For more information, please visit www.zonealarm.com Top 10 Tips for Protecting Yourself While Holiday Shopping Online * Purchase gifts through well-known online retailers that disclose full contact information. Just because an online store has a nifty Web site doesn't mean it has good business practices. * Always ensure that online financial transactions are secure by checking the bottom right corner of the browser window. A little yellow lock will appear on secure sites. * Check your bank statements regularly and investigate suspicious charges. * Don't give out personal or financial information in response to unsolicited e-mail. Do not click links in any e-mail when conducting financial transactions. * If you think you've been phished, immediately visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft. * Don't believe a sob story sob story n. 1. A tale of personal hardship or misfortune intended to arouse pity. 2. A maudlin plea given as an explanation or a rationalization. . Criminals will use guilt to convince you to donate -- but a real charity will spell out its cause. * Donate to charities directly, even in response to e-mail. * When participating in online auctions, check the seller's references and feedback ratings. If purchasing a high-value item, consider using an online escrow escrow Instrument, such as a deed, money, or property, that constitutes evidence of obligations between two or more parties and is held by a third party. It is delivered by the third party only upon fulfillment of some condition. service. * Don't use your primary e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address when shopping since you may inadvertently be signed up for excessive newsletters or marketing e-mails. Use a disposable account. * Don't venture online without securing your PC. A good firewall is essential, and antivirus, anti-spyware and spam protection are also critical. Keep up with security update downloads. About The Survey: This survey was conducted online within the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. by Harris Interactive on behalf of Zone Labs between November 9 and November 13, 2006 among 2,934 adults (aged 18 years of age and over). Figures for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. The data were also weighted to be representative of the online population of U.S. adults on the basis of Internet usage (hours per week) and connection type. With a pure probability sample of 2,934, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-3 percentage points. The sampling error for the sub-sample of those who shop online (n= 2,796) is also +/-3 percentage points. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated. About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leader in securing the Internet. It is a market leader in the worldwide enterprise firewall, consumer Internet security and VPN (Virtual Private Network) A private network that is configured within a public network (a carrier's network or the Internet) in order to take advantage of the economies of scale and management facilities of large networks. markets. Through its NGX NGX Natural Gas Exchange Inc. (Canada) NGX Next Generation X platform, the company delivers a unified security architecture for a broad range of perimeter, internal, Web, and endpoint security solutions that protect business communications and resources for corporate networks and applications, remote employees, branch offices and partner extranets. The company's ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite and additional consumer security solutions are among the highest rated in the industry today, proactively protecting millions of people from hackers, spyware, viruses and identity theft. Extending the power of the Check Point solution is its Open Platform for Security (OPSEC (OPerations SECurity) The U.S. military term for concealing critical information as part of a counterintelligence plan. A form of "security by obscurity," OPSEC determines what information adversaries can obtain or piece together from observation and to provide measures for ), the industry's framework and alliance for integration and interoperability with "best-of-breed" solutions from hundreds of leading companies. Check Point solutions are sold, integrated and serviced by a network of thousands of Check Point partners around the world and its customers include 100 percent of Fortune 100 companies and tens of thousands of businesses and organizations of all sizes. About Harris Interactive Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements enduring improvement (in·durˑ·ing im·prōōv·m in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com. To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at http://go.hpolsurveys.com/PR. [c]2003-2006 Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Check Point, AlertAdvisor, Application Intelligence, Check Point Express, Check Point Express CI, the Check Point logo, ClusterXL, ConnectControl, Connectra, Connectra Accelerator Card, Cooperative Enforcement, Cooperative Security Alliance, CoSa, DefenseNet, Eventia, Eventia Analyzer, Eventia Reporter, Eventia Suite, FireWall-1, FireWall-1 GX, FireWall-1 SecureServer, FloodGate-1, Hacker A person who writes programs in assembly language or in system-level languages, such as C. The term often refers to any programmer, but its true meaning is someone with a strong technical background who is "hacking away" at the bits and bytes. ID, IMsecure, INSPECT, INSPECT XL, Integrity, Integrity Clientless Security, Integrity SecureClient, InterSpect, IQ Engine, MailSafe, NG, NGX, Open Security Extension, OPSEC, OSFirewall, Policy Lifecycle Management, Provider-1, Safe@Home, Safe@Office, SecureClient, SecureClient Mobile, SecureKnowledge, SecurePlatform, SecurePlatform Pro, SecuRemote, SecureServer, SecureUpdate, SecureXL, SecureXL Turbocard, SiteManager-1, SmartCenter, SmartCenter Express, SmartCenter Power, SmartCenter Pro, SmartCenter UTM (Unified Threat Management) Refers to a stand-alone appliance or a software package that combines a firewall, antivirus, spam and content filtering as well as intrusion detection. See firewall, antivirus, antispam and IDS. , SmartConsole, SmartDashboard, SmartDefense, SmartDefense Advisor, Smarter Security, SmartLSM, SmartMap, SmartPortal, SmartUpdate, SmartView, SmartView Monitor, SmartView Reporter, SmartView Status, SmartViewTracker, SofaWare, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) The leading security protocol on the Internet. Developed by Netscape, SSL is widely used to do two things: to validate the identity of a Web site and to create an encrypted connection for sending credit card and other personal data. Network Extender See Media Center Extender, bus extender and DOS extender. , Stateful Clustering, TrueVector, Turbocard, UAM UAM Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain) UAM Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana (México) UAM Uniwersytet im. , UserAuthority, User-to-Address Mapping, VPN-1, VPN-1 Accelerator Card, VPN-1 Edge UTM-1 Edge (formerly VPN-1 UTM Edge and VPN-1 Edge) is a line of firewall and VPN appliances developed by SofaWare Technologies, a Check Point company. The Check Point VPN-1 UTM Edge product line is designed for enterprise branch offices and for teleworkers. , VPN-1 Express, VPN-1 Express CI, VPN-1 Power, VPN-1 Power VSX (Verification Suite for X/Open) A testing procedure from X/Open that verifies compliance with their endorsed standards. VSX3 has over 5,500 tests for compliance with XPG3. See XPG. VSX - Verification Suite for X/open. , VPN-1 Pro, VPN-1 SecureClient, VPN-1 SecuRemote, VPN-1 SecureServer, VPN-1 UTM, VPN-1 UTM Edge, VPN-1 VSX, Web Intelligence, ZoneAlarm, ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware, ZoneAlarm Antivirus, ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, ZoneAlarm Pro, ZoneAlarm Secure Wireless Router A network device that combines a wireless access point (base station), a wired LAN switch and a router with connections to a cable or DSL service. Wireless routers provide a convenient way to connect a small number of wired and any number of wireless computers to the Internet. , Zone Labs, and the Zone Labs logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. or its affiliates. All other product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The products described in this document are protected by U.S. Patent No. 5,606,668, 5,835,726, 6,496,935, 6,873,988, and 6,850,943 and may be protected by other U.S. Patents, foreign patents, or pending applications. |
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