Web Vulnerability Study of European Insurance Sites

The rise of online commerce has brought about advantages for consumers wishing to research and purchase auto insurance from online agents, and the global market for this business is rising. However, along with benefits come issues related to security of auto insurance Web applications. Unsecured Web applications are a major problem with overall computer security, and can lead to problems with consumer trust. Government legal mandates and individual company technical solutions are two methods that are being used to attempt to mitigate this issue. This study analyzes 60 auto insurance Web sites in three Western European countries to determine the level of Web application security, and what types of vulnerabilities are common in the sites. It also reviews some technical and procedural methods firms can take to ease some of these problems.