Japan saw an 18 percent increase in consumer confidence and perceived safety of the Internet, from 9 percent in February to 27 percent in August. The percentage of respondents in Japan who had infected computers within the past six months dropped from 17 percent in February to 13 percent in August. Correspondingly, respondents who are "very confident" their Internet security software is protecting their computer increased 15 percent, from 26 percent in February to 41 percent in August.
While confidence in the Internet rose in the U.S. and Japan, it decreased in the UK, France and Germany. In the UK, the percentage of respondents who reported infection of malware on their computers in the past six months rose 11 percent, from 31 percent in February to 42 percent in August. At the same time, more UK respondents participated in riskier online behavior such as using their credit card to make purchases over the Internet and using a public hotspot for Wi-Fi access.
In France, 46 percent of the respondents are very confident their Internet security software is protecting their computers, an 11 percent decrease from February. Germany saw a 10 percent decrease from 28 percent in February to 18 percent of respondents who believe the Internet will be much safer in the next six months.
"With the evolving threat landscape and the silent nature of Web threats, consumers need to properly protect their computers at all times," said Carol Carpenter, vice president of Trend Micro consumer marketing. "It's our job as a security vendor to stay one step ahead of growing threats. Trend Micro recently introduced the new consumer product, Trend Micro Internet Security Pro, which safeguards consumers' online activities with the most comprehensive protection available."
