Consumers Say Security Software Is Necessary

Sep 30, 2008 2:16 PM

A survey from Trend Micro Inc., a provider of Internet content security, found that for most consumers, Internet security software is compulsory, but needed.

Memory consumption that slows down computers, high prices and lengthy scan times were top reasons why nearly half of the respondents surveyed report to be disgruntled with the security software choices offered on the market and believe that there has to be a better way to protect their computers than what's available. Pop-up messages on the computer screen and complicated programs that are difficult to use added to consumers' disenchantment. Nearly 30 percent of those surveyed said that most security products do not live up to their manufacturer's marketing promise.

The survey found that among other software programs used at home, security software is most troublesome to consumers. Almost one third of the respondents said they had the most problems with security software over the past year. And while half of the respondents were not able to pick one computer software category that has the worst products, 12 percent of them perceived the computer software category to be most inferior compared to other consumer categories such as gaming, MP3 and video software.

For some respondents, a malware infection that couldn't be resolved led them to take the drastic measure -- 30 percent of them simply have given up and bought a new computer. In addition, among those whose computers have been infected with malware in the last six months, 17 percent reported they had to format the hard disk and reinstall Windows to get rid of the malware.

The majority of respondents agree that security software needs to be installed on their home computers, especially in an Internet-age where cybercrime is targeting both individuals and corporations. Eighty-two percent of respondents said that the best part about security software is that it protects their PCs against malware; 39 percent like the frequent updates their software performs; and only 4 percent found no redeeming value in security software.

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