Internet users seen having few safeguards

WASHINGTON -- Home Internet users are not nearly as safe online as they believe, according to a nationwide inspection by researchers, which found most consumers have no firewall protection, outdated antivirus software, and spyware programs secretly running on their computers.

The study being released today by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance found that 77 percent of 326 adults in 12 states assured researchers in a phone poll they were safe from online threats. Nearly as many felt they were protected from viruses and hackers.

When experts visited those same homes to examine computers, they found two-thirds of adults using antivirus software that was not being updated weekly.

Two-thirds of the computer users also were not using any protective firewall program, and spyware was found on the computers of 80 percent of those in the study.