Computer Viruses Impact One-Third Of American Internet Users.

Nearly one in three Internet users in the United States has been affected by a computer virus or hacker in the past two years, according to a new survey commissioned by Edelman, whose Florida office provides comprehensive public relations and marketing services to computer security companies in the United States. The independent survey, which questioned more than one thousand adults nationwide, also showed that Internet users feel far more secure at work than on their home computers.

According to the survey, which was conducted in mid-July, 32% of the respondents who use the Internet said they had been impacted by a hacker or computer virus in the past two years. Additionally, 43% of Americans said they felt less secure on their home computers versus 17% who felt they were less protected from viruses and hackers at work.

“This survey gives us a clearer picture of what people are thinking about when it comes to computer security,” said Jim Burke, senior vice president, Edelman Florida, which coordinated the survey. “We do a lot of work in the IT security arena, so this is a helpful benchmark to guide us as we work with our cybersecurity clients. It’s also interesting to see that people are feeling more secure in their Internet activities at the office. Maybe this is a result of the many technological advancements in security products over the past few years.”

Additional survey results indicate that West Coast residents are most likely to feel insecure on their office computers, and the most wealthy and educated feel the most vulnerable on the Internet.

As a sidebar, the results of the survey were also helpful in determining who feels most vulnerable on the Internet: Typically, it appears to be a young male, in or recently graduated from college, somewhere in the Midwest.

For more information at http://www.edelman.com