Kaspersky calls for a more secure internet

Banks allow too much responsibility to rest on the shoulders of consumers

Governments and banking institutions are still failing to pay enough attention to internet security, and allow too much responsibility to rest on the shoulders of consumers, according to Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab.

Eugene Kaspersky, the anti-malware firm's chief executive, argued that governments are more likely to pay attention to the current financial crisis than internet crime, despite figures from consultancy Deloitte released this week predicting that online spending will reach £4.7bn this year.

"In my dreams responsibility [would lie] with governments, not national governments but a world government, to establish a more secure internet and better regulation of networks," he said.

"They already regulate water networks and transport networks and electricity networks, but not the internet."

Costin Raiu, chief security expert at Kaspersky Lab, echoed these sentiments, adding that banks do not pay enough attention to the increasing sophistication and prevalence of attacks launched against their customers.

Raiu demonstrated how modern Trojans are capable not only of harvesting details through key-logging software, but of taking screenshots in order to circumvent the virtual keyboard tools some banks use to authenticate customers.

"Banks became aware of these issues a couple of years ago, but they need to do more about this problem," he argued.

Deloitte's research also found that a third of consumers who do not shop online cite security concerns. The consultancy recommended that online shoppers should avoid making purchases in internet cafes, use Wi-Fi networks with WPA protection, and keep PCs up to date with patches and anti-virus software.

Independent research by management consultancy Mott MacDonald Schema released yesterday confirmed the fears of users. Almost two-thirds of those surveyed said that the internet would benefit from increased regulation.