Fear of spyware changes online habits

NEW YORK — Internet users worried about spyware and adware are shunning specific Web sites, avoiding file-sharing networks, even switching browsers.

Many have also stopped opening e-mail attachments without first making sure they are safe, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said in a study issued Wednesday.

“People are scaling back on some Internet activities,” said Susannah Fox, the study’s main author. “People are feeling less adventurous, less free to do whatever they want to do online.”

Like no other Internet threat before it, spyware is getting people’s attention, she said. “It maybe will bring more awareness of all kinds of security issues.”

Linda Parra, a technology usability consultant at an insurance firm in Madison, Wis., is typical of the once-burned, now-vigilant crowd.

Hit twice by spyware, after which all her Internet searches went to a rogue search engine rather than Google, she bought the safer Mac computer, installed two layers of firewalls and began switching off her broadband-connected machine when she’s out.

“I’ve become a lot more security conscious,” she said, adding that she had to learn much more about how computers and the Internet work.

Eighteen percent of U.S. adult Internet users have started using Mozilla Firefox or another alternative Web browser.

In addition, 81 percent have become more cautious about e-mail attachments, a common way for spreading viruses, though rare for spyware or adware.

All told, 91 percent have made at least one behavioral change.