Kaspersky research
South Africans Think Software Update Time can be Used to Increase Productivity
Installing updates is considered a routine boring task, according to a study commissioned by Kaspersky. The research revealed that four-in-ten (47%) of South Africans admit that the time spent waiting for updates to take place can be used productively and they are making this a reality in their day-to-day lives. Updates to devices are not only necessary to gain access to new features or interfaces, but they also help to maintain a high level of security. Vendors regularly test their offerings to find new potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. The timely installation of updates can serve as an effective defence against cybercriminals. This downtime can also increase people’s productivity and help with well-being. South Africans agree that the time spent waiting for ...
5 Things to Do After a Ransomware Attack
In South Africa, 42% of ransomware victims pay the ransom to restore access to their data. Yet for 19% of those, paying the ransom did not guarantee the return of stolen data. However, as public awareness of potential cyber threats grows there is the reason for optimism in the fight against ransomware. Ransomware is a type of malware which criminals use to extort money. It holds data to ransom using encryption or by locking users out of their device. According to a report from Kaspersky, whether they paid or not, only 24% of victims were able to restore all their encrypted or blocked files following an attack. 61% lost at least some files, 32% lost a significant amount, and 29% lost a small number of files. Meanwhile, 11% who did experience such an incident lost almost all their data. “Thi...
Is the Clubhouse App Safe to Use?
Image sourced from Daily Express Clubhouse has become a wildly popular app across the world. The invitation-only audio-chat platform appears to be a reflection of the growing interest in sound-based products with the recent rebound of the podcast. Kaspersky researchers believe that the app can create a false sense of security, privacy, and closeness, in part because of how its registration works (it’s invitation-only at the moment). This creates several risks for the users, which are important to be aware of when using any public space on the Internet. One of the risks is privacy risks. This is often connected with the fact that people feel they are surrounded by like-minded individuals and friends, which allows them to behave more authentically than they would in front of strangers....
7 Ways to be Safe while Gaming Online, According to Experts
Across the world, more than a tenth of gamers have had their ID stolen – resulting in costs of as much as $347 billion, according to global research by Kaspersky. This new research surveyed gamers spanning 17 countries. With this in mind, here are seven ways to be as safe as possible while gaming online: Buy from official sources. Always shop for PC games either on well-known platforms like Steam and GOG or on official developer sites. Save smart. Official stores often provide amazing discounts or even free games. But many email offers can be a scam – go to the developer’s or store’s website to see if the discount is mentioned there – if not, it’s not real. Check the return policy. Before buying, know the store’s rules for returning a game you don’t like or that doesn’t work on your comput...
4 IT Security Tips for Businesses in 2021
Sourced from Forbes A shift to remote work, financial constraints due to economic recession and the growth of cyber threats due to the global pandemic will affect the day-to-day role of cybersecurity professionals in 2021. Understanding the challenges but also perceiving opportunities in IT and IT security management is key for companies to maintain their protection. The recent Kaspersky report, “Plugging the gaps: 2021 corporate IT security predictions” suggests advice for each role related to cybersecurity, including CEOs or business owners, CISOs, SOC team leads and IT managers. Here are four of the main trends: Protecting the perimeter is no longer enough – home office assessment and certification will be needed. There should be tools to scan the level of security in a workplace – from...
Top 3 IT Security Threats in Africa
Sourced from IDG Connect There’s been an overall decrease in certain malware cases across sub-Saharan Africa, according to Kaspersky research. However, the human cyber threat remains rife and Africa is not immune to the evolving techniques of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), as well as the possibilities of being a future target of hacking-for-hire threat actor groups. Kaspersky research has found that globally, APT groups are evolving their techniques and are upgrading their toolset to continue stealing sensitive information. Furthermore, there has been a rise of hackers-for-hire or cyber mercenaries during the first two quarters of 2020. In fact, three cyber mercenary groups have been exposed across the world this year alone. As this activity has taken place outside of Africa, it’s sus...
How Cybercriminals are Using the PS5 to Scam Internet Users
Cybercriminals are becoming more and more interested in the PlayStation 5, according to research from Kaspersky. In the period of July – September 2020, almost 150 suspicious web resources around the world included the word ‘PlayStation’ in their names. The phishing websites were mainly offering the chance to pre-order PlayStation 5 by leaving a prepayment or personal information. On some sites, it was supposedly even possible to purchase a console at a reduced price. There were also resources where the previous version of the console – PlayStation 4 – was on offer for much lower prices, with the major discounts attributed to the release of PS5. “We want to remind users that if something looks too good to be true on the Internet, then it’s most probably a scam,” says Tatyana Sidorina,...
Spyware is Distributed Under the Guise of Android Apps
Sourced from Republic Title A new kind of Android spyware has been distributed by Transparent Tribe, a prolific APT group, under the guise of official COVID-19 applications – according to Kaspersky researchers. The threat actors have capitalised on the pandemic to extend their operations and infect mobile devices. Recent findings show that the group has been actively working on improving its toolset and expanding its reach to include threats to mobile devices. During the investigation, Kaspersky was able to find a new Android implant used by the threat actor to spy on mobile devices in attacks, which was distributed as fake national COVID-19 tracking apps. The connection between the group and the two applications was made thanks to the related domains that the actor used to host malic...
South Africa Ranked as Most Targeted Country in Africa, Cybersecurity Research Shows
Sourced from IDG Connect Phishing is one of the oldest and most flexible types of social engineering attacks. It is used in many ways, and for different purposes, to lure unwary users to fake sites and trick them into entering personal information. The latter often includes financial credentials such as bank account passwords or payment card details, or login details for social media accounts. In the wrong hands, this opens doors to various malicious operations, such as money being stolen or corporate networks being compromised. This makes phishing a popular initial infection method. According to Kaspersky, phishing attacks are becoming increasingly more targeted. A number of new tricks have also been found – from HR dismissal emails to attacks disguised as delivery notifications. As a res...
Web Skimming – A New Way to Steal Payments from Online Shoppers
Sourced from IOL. Researchers from cybersecurity and antivirus experts, Kaspersky, have uncovered a new technique for stealing users’ payment information on online shopping websites – a type of attack known as web skimming. Web skimming is a popular practice used by attackers to steal users’ credit card details from the payment pages of online stores, whereby attackers inject pieces of code into the source code of the website. This malicious code then collects the data inputted by visitors to the site (i.e. payment account logins or credit card numbers) and sends the harvested data to the address specified by attackers. Often, to conceal the fact that the webpage has been compromised, attackers register domains with names that resemble popular web analytics services, such as Google Analyti...
72% of People Can’t Check if Their Passwords have been Leaked
Sourced from International IDEA Passwords are the most common method of authentication, but they only work if they are hard to crack and confidential. And with an increasing number of applications requiring them, it can be hard to come up with new ideas for complex passwords and keep them all in your mind – especially when users may be required to change their passwords regularly. 87% of South African users are thinking up their own passwords, while 72% say they are unaware about how to check if any of their credentials have already been leaked – according to the latest Kaspersky report, ‘Defending digital privacy: Taking personal protection to the next level’. This highlights the need to store passwords securely and look out for possible instances when these credentials could be leaked. A...
- 1
- 2
