Survey shows Americans lack grasp of cybersecurity
SAN DIEGO — When it comes to cybersecurity, Americans recognize the need for strong passwords and know that public Wi-Fi hotspots aren’t necessarily safe for online banking or e-commerce.
But U.S. adults are not as good at recognizing email “phishing” schemes or determining if the website where they’re entering credit card information is encrypted.
That’s according to a new Pew Research Center survey titled “What the Public Knows about Cybersecurity.” It tallied responses from 1,055 adults last year about their understanding of concepts important to online safety and privacy.
The results were mixed, highlighting that public awareness of online security measures remains a potential weak link in thwarting cyberthreats.
“It is probably our No. 1 concern and No. 1 vulnerability,” said Retired Rear Adm. Ken Slaght, head of the San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence, a trade group for the region’s cybersecurity industry. “These attackers keep upping their game. It
vehicle at the touch of the driver’s hand. Rainsensing wipers engage with the arrival of precipitation. A headsup display projects vital information onto the windshield. The ultrasuede and simulated wood grain interior and the dash elements all have a quality fit and finish.
The Clarity is connected and ready for Apple Car Play and Android Auto. The HondaLink cellphone app will allow the operator to start the car remotely and get the heater or AC going. It will also find the car, electronically, if the operator parked it while confused by shopping mall euphoria; it can also find the closest fueling station and provide directions for getting there.
It’s an easy car to drive and, once you get used to the absence of engine sound and vibration, feels like any other mid-range sedan.
Silent, smooth and responsive, the Clarity got my high marks for performance. I even forgave it for the unappealing exterior design, which seems to suffer from the syndrome that struck the first generation of Porsche Panameras — with the sleek lines extending from the sporty front of the car having to expand to allow for a full-size rear seating area.
Like its rivals, the Clarity’s hydrogen tank can be filled in three to five minutes, from a fueling device that looks and acts a lot like a traditional gas station pump. Range between refills on the Clarity is 366 miles per tank, according to the Environmental Protection Agency — ahead of the Mirai’s range of 312 miles and the Tucson’s 265.
However, also like all hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the Clarity’s fast-fueling capacity is limited by the current fuel cell infrastructure.
As of March, there were only 26 fueling stations open in California — which has by far the densest fuel cell penetration. payment As above Hydrogen fuel stack, electric motor Direct drive 134 221 pound-feet 69 mpg-e city / 67 mpg-e highway / 68 mpg-e combined
Those numbers are expected to rise, Honda executives and others say. Stephen Ellis, manager of fuel cell vehicle marketing for Honda, said an additional 36 stations will be on line, split between Northern and Southern California, by 2018.
Honda isn’t selling the Clarity at all, for the time being, and only offers the cars in California, but with a very appealing lease deal. Wannabe lease holders will pay $369 a month, after a down payment of $2,868, to drive one home.
That’s a little more than the $349 a month and $2,499 down for a Mirai, and a little less than the $499 a month and $2,999 down for a Tucson.
Any of the three will qualify for a $5,000 cash rebate, and Honda will throw in a $15,000 fuel credit, via a credit card — which the company said should be enough to cover the full three years of the average lease. (Toyota and Hyundai will cover the fueling costs on the Mirai and Tucson.)
That’s a good thing because compressed hydrogen, when calculated on a per-gallon rate, costs three to five times more than gasoline, the equivalent of $9.99 per gallon at some locations, more than $15 at others (though hydrogentechnology boosters insist that, with more widespread adoption, fuel costs will come down).
For expeditions that would take the Clarity beyond its 366-mile refuel range, Honda also offers 21 days of free Avis luxury-car rental over the duration of the lease.
There are many people eager to get their hands on the new cars, with some dealers holding waiting lists with “hundreds” of names, Ellis said.
“We’ve tried to eliminate all the barriers and hurdles,” he said.
Honda executives have said they were trying, with the Clarity, to build a fuel cell car that offered zero emissions, a long driving range and a comfortable “lounge-like” interior for five full-sized adults.
By those standards, Honda has succeeded. The Clarity isn’t a science experiment anymore. It’s a car, and a good one.
For those not ready for hydrogen, Honda will start offering other Clarity models soon. One will be a late 2017 battery-powered electric, the other a 2018 plug-in hybrid. They’ll look and act a lot more like other low-emission vehicles currently on the road.
But they won’t come with free fuel.