Lorrie Faith Cranor, associate professor of computer science and engineering & public policy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, describes the problem as misplaced trust. "When Internet users are asked to make 'trust' decisions they often make the wrong decision," she explains.

Trust, it turns out, has a lot to do with the online experience for most computer users. "Implicit trust decisions include decisions about whether or not to open an email attachment or provide information in response to an email that claims to have been sent by a trusted entity. Explicit trust decisions are decisions made in response to specific trust or security-related prompts such as pop-up boxes that ask the user whether to trust an expired certificate, execute downloaded software, or allow macros to execute," Cranor says.

In spite of spyware, phishing and other Internet threats, most Americans say they feel safe online, according to a poll sponsored by StopBadware.org, a consumer protection initiative. In a poll conducted by Zogby International, 88% of Internet users said they feel safe online. In addition, 84% describe themselves as armed with the information and tools needed to protect their privacy and security.