A Third of Web Users are Too Scared To Shop Online

by Craig Buckler



Editor's note:  It's going to get worse before it gets better.  Until card holder data is instantaneously "encrypted" hackers will use zombies, malware, SQL injection, key logging and yet to be invented pervasive attacks to obtain our financial details.  Here's some snippets from a post on SitePoint...



Almost a third of website visitors consider online shopping to be insecure and unsafe. A recent report published by the UK’s Office of Fair Trading found that 30% of internet users would not hand over their credit card details. The report concluded that consumer confidence is growing, but it’s occurring at a slow rate. Online trading could be held back for many years, especially when UK online sales are twice as high as the European average.



The issue of trust is not helped when large-scale security problems are covered in the press.  Embarrassingly for the shops concerned, the credit card details were accessed using a SQL injection attack. Although the Department of Justice states this is a “sophisticated hacking technique,” developers have been aware about these attacks for many years. Whilst no system can ever be 100% secure, SQL injections can normally be thwarted with rudimentary data sanitization and securely-formed SQL commands.



Hacking “success” stories have an immediate impact. 7-Eleven’s online sales have certainly been affected, but the case will have a domino effect throughout the web.



The fact remains that a large proportion of users do not trust the web. Online shopping will never reach its full potential unless we tackle that problem effectively.