Kaspersky Archives - Business Metrics

3 African Countries under Heavy Cyber Threats Exposed

A report has revealed that Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya are facing the highest online threats in the African continent, according to a Russian multinational cybersecurity...

Smart Devices Users Suffer Over 500m Phishing Attacks in 2022 – Report • 8.7% of African Users Fall Victims Led by S/Africa, Kenya, Nigeria Global cyberbsecurity firm, Kaspersky, has reported that based on its anti-phishing system, it prevented more than 500 million attempts at accessing fraudulent websites globally in 2022. The figure, which is twice more compared to 2021 figures, indicates rising data breaches and cyberattacks via phishing, attacks on users’ devices. In Africa, the firm said in its latest report that 8.7% of individuals and corporate users were affected by phishing and the attacks on their devices were detected and stopped. In South Africa, the share of users affected by phishing stands at 9.7%, followed by Kenya at 8.4% and Nigeria at 7%. Detailed information on the global situation with spam and phishing can be found in Kaspersky’s Spam and Phishing in 2022 report. What the report says: Although spam and phishing attacks are not necessarily complex from a technological standpoint, they rely on sophisticated social engineering tactics, making them highly dangerous to those who are not aware of them. Fraudsters are skilled at creating phishing web pages identical to the original websites that collect private user data or encourage the transfer of money to fraudsters targeting both individuals and organisations. Kaspersky experts discovered that throughout 2022 cybercriminals increasingly turned to phishing. The company’s anti-phishing system successfully blocked 507,851,735 attempts to access fraudulent content globally in 2022, twice the number of attacks thwarted in 2021. The sphere most frequently targeted with phishing attacks was delivery services. Fraudsters send fake emails pretending to be from well-known delivery companies and claim there is an issue with a delivery. The email includes a link to a fake website, which asks for personal information or financial details. If the victim falls for the scam, they could lose their identity and banking information, which may be sold to websites on the dark web. With financial phishing, the most commonly targeted categories were online stores and online financial services. Among the financial phishing attempts in South Africa 15.4% were through websites of fake payment systems, 68.4% through fake online stores and 16.2% through fake online bank portals. Among the financial phishing attempts in Kenya 22.5% were through websites of fake payment systems, 54.9% through fake online stores and 22.6% through fake online bank portals. And among the financial phishing attempts in Nigeria 31.1% were through websites of fake payment systems, 51.2% through fake online stores and 17.8% through fake online bank portals. Meanwhile, Kaspersky experts have also highlighted a global trend in the phishing landscape of 2022 including an increase in the distribution of attacks through messengers, with the majority of blocked attempts coming from WhatsApp, followed by Telegram and Viber. There is also growing demand among cybercriminals for social media credentials, with criminals exploiting people's curiosity and desire for privacy by offering fake updates and verified account status on social media platforms. Moreover, the experts found that cryptocurrency scams and market events, like the pandemic, are still being used by phishing attackers to steal sensitive information from people who are afraid and worried. These scammers are taking advantage of people's fears and concerns to steal their sensitive information. Remarks: Olga Svistunova, security expert at Kaspersky explained that phishing is one of the most prevalent and pernicious threats in the cybersecurity landscape. “Being the gateway to many of the worst cyber threats, phishing pages are the first step in a long chain of events that can result in identity theft, financial loss, and reputational damage for both individual consumers and businesses. It's crucial for everyone to understand the threat and take action to protect themselves,” he said. Advisory to Beat Prowling Attacks In order to avoid becoming a victim of spam or phishing-based scams, Kaspersky experts advise the following: • Only open emails and click links if you are sure you can trust the sender. • When a sender is legitimate, but the content of the message seems strange, it is worth checking with the sender via an alternative communication channel. • Check the spelling of a website’s URL if you suspect that you are faced with a phishing page. If you are, the URL may contain mistakes that are hard to spot at first glance, such as a 1 instead of I or 0 instead of O. • Use a proven security solution when surfing the web. Thanks to access to international threat intelligence sources, these solutions are capable of spotting and blocking spam and phishing campaigns.

Technology2 years ago

Smart Devices Users Suffer Over 500m Attacks in 2022 – Report

7% of African Users Fall Victims Led by S/Africa, Kenya, Nigeria Global cyberbsecurity firm, Kaspersky, has reported that based on its anti-phishing system, it prevented more...

Hackers Steal Passwords from 2,654 Small Businesses in Nigeria in Four Months - Kaspersky

Technology2 years ago

Hackers Steal Passwords from 2,654 Small Businesses in Nigeria in Four Months – Kaspersky

No fewer than 2,654 small businesses in Nigeria have suffered cyberattacks involving stealing of passwords to their business accounts by prowling hackers. According to the latest...

Featured3 years ago

Nigeria, three others suffer 85m malware attacks in 6 months – Kaspersky

Nigeria is among four African countries with the highest number of malware attacks in the first six months of 2021, Kaspersky has revealed. Aside Nigeria, three...

Trend Micro Shields Nigeria from 24 million Cyber Threats in One Year

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Special warning for financial institutions amidst waxing malware attacks – Kaspersky

Special warning for financial institutions amidst waxing malware attacks – Kaspersky With digital transformation a top priority on the corporate agenda as companies identify...

Technology4 years ago

Over 2 Million Africans Suffer Phishing Attacks In Q2 – Report

Latest report by Kaspersky has shown that no fewer than two million people suffered from phishing attacks between April and June this year. The cyber security...

Kaspersky, Responsible Digital Parenting Survey

ICT4 years ago

Kaspersky survey shows 55% of Nigerian parents disapprove children’s long stay online

Most parents in Nigeria often have conflicts with their children and wards for staying glued to their gadget surfing the Internet, according to Kaspersky. Latest Responsible...