The study has revealed that only 23% of the respondents find it necessary to invest money on securing their computers and not using free anti-virus solutions. In order to secure their computer systems, only half of the women bought security package. 49% of respondents claim that they do not use any security software or measure to protect their systems and laptops.

The study also discloses that every fourth woman uses a free product and another 3% of women use an unlicensed commercial version. Additionally, majority of women are confident enough regarding the effectiveness of programs installed on their systems.

The security experts said that it was clear from the study that maximum women were vulnerable to web security threats such as malicious software.

It is not for the first time that such study being conducted. A similar study was conducted in September 2009 that revealed striking results. The study found that about 10% of the respondents were not making use of basic security software such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layers), antivirus, and firewalls.

Apart from this, a Consumer Reports' survey reveals that 36% don't use an anti-spyware program and 19% of users don't use any anti-virus software. Out of those users with cable or DSL connections (the most vulnerable), 5% don't use any security measures like software or hardware firewall to avoid their PCs from being commandeered.

Therefore, users are recommended to use high quality anti-virus software in their PCs to avoid falling victim to online malware. The users should schedule anti-virus scans on all networked systems to run on a daily routine basis. The full daily anti-virus scan ensures virus free functioning.

Moreover, user should always use updated and advanced browser and security products. The users should also make sure that all the available patches are installed in the allotted time because lots of viruses utilize vulnerabilities in programs like QuickTime or adobe acrobat.