RSA, the security division of EMC, recently announced the results of its 2010 Global Online Consumer Security Survey that included some surprising Canadian numbers: we are aware of trojans and phishing, but not up to speed on voice scams or “smishing”, and wary of mobile banking.

RSA polled more than 4,500 consumers regarding their awareness of online threats, concerns with the safety of their personal information online and their willingness to share it, and desire for better identity protection.

Of the more significant survey findings, consumer awareness of phishing attacks has doubled between 2007 and 2009 and the number of consumers who reported falling prey to this attack increased six times during that same period of time.

Specific to Canada:

• 79% of Canadian consumers are aware of the threat of phishing
• 22% of Canadian respondents say they have been the victim of a phishing e-mail attack
• 77% per cent of Canadian consumers are aware of Trojans
• But only 26% of Canadians were aware of voice phishing and only 22% were aware of smishing (SMS or text messaging phishing)
• 76% of Canadians expressed they were somewhat to very concerned about personal information being accessed or stolen from their online banking site
• Only 46% of Canadians felt secure when using mobile banking

The overall data showed that while hundreds of thousands of people join social networking websites each day nearly two in three (65%) people who belong to these online communities indicated they are less likely to interact or share information due to their growing security concerns.

As most of us know, social networking websites have become a hotbed for online criminals because of their global reach and the participation by hundreds of millions of active users from all walks of life. This makes these communities prime targets for exploitation by criminals who seek to steal personal information through socially engineered attacks.

Reflective of this trend, the survey exposed that four out of five (81%) people using social networking websites expressed concern with the safety of their personal information online. As well, three in 10 people have fallen prey to phishing attacks, a six-fold increase in just two years

The sheer volume of phishing attacks launched in recent months is also contributing to these trends. The RSA Anti-Fraud Command Center recently reported the highest-yet detected rates of phishing attacks between August and October 2009, as well as a 17% increase in the total number of attacks between 2008 and 2009.

Respondents totaled 4,539 consumers between the ages of 18 and 65. The survey was conducted in October 2009 by market research firm InfoSurv, Inc., and represented 22 countries across North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific. All respondents actively used the internet.