1. Objectives and Methodology

2. Microsoft Computing Safety Index (MCSI)
In 2011, Microsoft launched the Microsoft Computing Safety Index (MCSI) to track and gauge consumer online safety behaviors.
The Index is designed to measure consumers experience online. As such, it is constrained by consumers understanding of what has happened to their devices, themselves, and their families. The MCSI is designed to reflect the growing role of mobile and tablet computing and is not device specific. Additional topical questions are included in the MCSI each year.
One goal of the Index is to measure consumers use of various safety settings that have been incorporated into upgrades of operating systems. Doing this requires guiding *respondents through checking the setting on their specific computer. For this reason respondents in the Index are limited to those using some version of Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, though they may also use other PCs, smartphones, and tablets.
In 2012, the MCSI was expanded to a global survey, along with the addition of a mobile computing survey component.
This year, the MCSI includes 20 countries, comprising 60 percent of the globe’s 2.4B Internet users.
*Respondents are adults 18+ recruited from online research panels in each country. Samples were drawn to reflect the age and gender mix of the online universes in each country.
Lynne Thomson, PhD
VP Research Director , Technology
Since its inception, the MCSI has been conducted by TNS Global Research for Microsoft.
TNS is the world’s largest custom research company providing consumer, employee and business insight to clients and governments from 75 offices worldwide.
Source of Internet Users 18+ from most current available statistics: and

3. Safer computing is built in three levels1
Foundational: settings & characteristics of a users computing environment that can keep them safe 2
Technical: tools users can leverage to help keep them safe online
Smart choices of sites
Strong passwords
Education
Behavioral
30 points
Proactive involvement in protecting oneself online 3
Behavioral: Actions users take—or don’t take—to stay safe, avoid, or fix problems
Statistical analysis grouped individual questions and assigned points to each so that each respondent receives a score from 0 to 100.
Because the Index is designed to reflect the evolving issues consumers face online, specific questions are added and deleted from the survey every year. Look in the appendix (see link below) for a year-by-year list of new items in the Index and the point value associated with each.
Social network settings
Mobile device safety
Browser settings & phishing filters
Technical 40 points
Software updates
Antivirus
Firewall
Up-to-date, genuine version of Windows
(Vista or newer)
Secure wireless networks
Foundational
30 points

4. 2013 U.S. Highlights
As the Internet has become a ubiquitous part of life, U.S. consumers are less vigilant about protecting their safety online

5. Reported safety behavior is not improving
1/12/2019
Reported safety behavior is not improving
Fewer U.S. Internet users report taking actions to keep themselves safer online 37 36
U.S. Score
2011
2012
2013
Total 37 36 34
Behavioral 14 11 10
Technical 9 8
Foundational 16 34
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

6. 2013: The Internet is ubiquitous
1/12/2019
2013: The Internet is ubiquitous
U.S. Internet users have embraced a huge range of online services *
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

7. Foundation protections are often missing
1/12/2019
Foundation protections are often missing
Most report not leveraging the basic tools that could stave off trouble i
Of the five foundational settings, U.S. computer users report using only half (2.6 of 5)
U.S.
2011
2012
2013
Average
2.4
2.2
2.6
Up-to-date Windows
31%
71%
83%
Antivirus spyware
67%
62%
59%
Firewall
50%
47%
40%
Auto updates
51%
Secured wireless
24%
36%
29%
* Window Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

8. Luckily many are better protected than they realize
1/12/2019
Luckily many are better protected than they realize i
Of the five foundational settings, U.S. computer users report using only half (2.6 of 5), though after checking most are better protected than they thought (3.7 of 5)
Directing them to check operating system settings reveals a more positive picture
U.S.
2011
2012
2013
Self report
2.4
2.2
2.6
After inspection
3.3
3.1
3.7
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

9. Many are cautious rather than proactive
1/12/2019
Many are cautious rather than proactive
Many report not doing risky behaviors,
but miss active steps to thwart socially-engineered risks i
Of the seven behaviors to improve online safety, U.S. Internet users are demonstrating fewer over time
2013
U.S.
2011
2012
2013
Average
3.2
2.7
2.3
Passwords using upper & lower case…
48%
49%
42%
Reputable sites ONLY
60%
39%
Educate myself: identity theft
56%
36%
Unique passwords
41%
35%
34%
Selective sharing NA
28%
https connection
37%
26%
Educate myself: online reputation
33%
27%
21%
Passwords: upper and lower case letters, numbers and/or symbols
Conduct transactions on reputable sites ONLY
Educate myself: identity theft
Unique passwords for each account or web site
Selective sharing through texts
Use websites with \https\
Educate myself: online reputation
NA are items which were not in the index at that given year
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

10. Fewer than half are taking actions to stay safe
1/12/2019
Fewer than half are taking actions to stay safe i
Mobile’s without PINs invite trouble
On average, U.S. respondents use fewer than one quarter (2.3) of the twelve technical tools for managing online safety
2013
U.S.
2011
2012
2013
Average
2.5
2.4
2.3
Limit amount of personal info online
48%
47%
40%
Limit what strangers see on social network NA
35%
30%
Do not use real name
41%
33%
27%
Change social networking privacy settings
34%
26%
Hide my computer’s identity
22%
23%
Limit what friends see on social network
19%
Phishing filter
18%
Use a PIN on mobile
17%
Edit/delete info that impacts online rep
11%
Use mobile security 8%
Use search engines to monitor/manage…
13% 7%
Use service to delete info online 5% 9% 6%
Limit amount of personal info available online
Limit what strangers can see on social networking
Screen names, gamer tags not my real name
Change social networking privacy settings
Hide my computer's identity from web sites
Limit what friends can see on social networking
Use phishing & web browser filters
Using a PIN or password to lock a mobile device
Edit or delete information ...my online reputation
Use a Mobile security application/feature
Use search engines to monitor/ manage my personal information online
Use service to edit/delete info that impact online reputation
NA are items which were not in the index at that given year
Mobile PIN or password and mobile security app use among smartphone owners only
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

11. Appendix

12. 2013 MCSI sample Matched to online population (18+) in U.S. U.S.
532
Internet users (millions)
245
Source of Internet Users 18+ from most current available statistics: and

13. Evolution of items in the MCSI
Change to accommodate new technology and greater user of mobile access
2012
2013
Up to date OS = Vista or Win7
Add Win8
Turn on and leave on my computer firewall
Same
Installed, update anti-virus/spyware/malware software on my PC and/or laptop
Run software updates and/or turn on automatic updates
Use secured wireless networks
Technical
Create screen names and/or gamer tags that are not my real name
Change my social networking privacy settings to limit what information I share
Take steps to limit the amount of personal information available about myself online
Use phishing & web browser filters
Take steps to hide my computer`s identity from the web sites I visit
Use search engines to monitor and manage my personal information online
Edit or delete information about me online that might impact my online reputation
Used a service to edit or delete information about me online
Installed anti-virus/spyware/malware software on my mobile devices
Use a Mobile security application/feature
Use a VPN
Using a PIN or password to lock a mobile device
Limit what strangers can see on my social networking site
Limit what friends can see on my social networking site
Conduct transactions on reputable sites ONLY
Use websites with an https connection for highly sensitive transactions ...
Create unique passwords for each account or web site I use
Create passwords using upper and lower case letters, numbers and/or symbols
Educate myself about the latest steps to take to prevent identity theft
Educate myself about the latest steps to take to correct identity theft
Educate myself about the latest steps to take to protect my online reputation
Being selective about what you share through text messages (information, comments, pictures, etc.)
Foundational
30 points
Technical 40 points
Behavioral
30 points

14. 1/12/2019 4:36 AM
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.