The use of security tools and measures continues to be high among Spanish Internet users. The antivirus is the most used tool, with a reported 92.2% of users. Other widely used measures are antivirus updates (79.2%) and operating system updates (76.5%), followed by firewall installation (76.2%).

Despite the use of these security measures, incidents continue to arise. As such, in August 2011, almost half of the surveyed equipment hosted a malicious code of some description, and 1 in 3 computers are at high risk of malware. This data confirms the validity of the assertion made by the INTECO Information Security Observatory after each wave: security tools are necessary, but do not suffice. The adoption of prudent browsing habits is essential to guarantee an appropriate level of protection.

The balance however, based on user confidence levels, is positive: 52% of users surveyed trust the Internet a lot or quite a lot, whilst only 7.7% state that they don't trust the Internet much, and 1.1% state that they don't trust it at all.

During the study period, 3,743 users were surveyed and 7,865 remote audits of home computers connected to the Internet were carried out. This latest wave of the study includes an important new methodological feature. The iScan, a programme that analyses computer systems and security issues, was updated in June 2011, and is now able to detect installed security tools and computer-hosted malware with greater accuracy and granularity.

Direct download of the Study on information security and e-trust in Spanish households, 2nd four-month period of 2011 (16th wave). Accesible PDF file. The full report is available in Spanish and the executive summary is available in Spanish and English.

Also available in the Studies section.