Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte today launched the makeITsecure campaign. The campaign, led by a public/private taskforce, identified new areas of risk to Irish Internet users.
The aim of this year’s campaign is to specifically address and educate people about security issues that they face online on a day to day basis such as online banking, e-mails, chat rooms and social networking sites.
The recent Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, 5.5 billion malicious attacks in 2011, an increase of 81% over the previous year. The same report also showed that approximately one in every 298 e-mails are phishing attacks, and approximately one in 239 e-mails are affected by viruses.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Rabbitte said: "It is important that these kinds of statistics don’t deter people from using computers or surfing the Internet as these are now invaluable tools for business, leisure, education and communication. The aim of the makeITsecure campaign is to ensure that all ICT users are encouraged to continue to use the technology, but to ensure that when doing so, they are taking the precautions to protect themselves especially when online.
The makeITsecure campaign, which is being held for the fourth time, is being run by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in the Republic of Ireland. The private sector is represented by Symantec, Irish Banking Federation, Microsoft, BT Ireland, Three, 02, Vodafone, eircom and Comreg.
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