Research by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International revealed that 41% of European Internet users have been attacking 12 malware over the past few months. Indeed, in most cases (78%), this has had a negative impact on both users and their devices.
Malware attacks were more often turned against Windows computers, with 83% of Windows computer users reporting that they were affected during the last 12 months. However, Android and Mac OS X users, with 13% and 6% respectively, were not unaware of "infections" on their devices.
10% of European users believe the device was "infected" after visiting a suspicious site. 5% reported a third-party USB drive as the cause of the infection, 6% reported another "infected" device, while installing a malicious application that was "disguised" into a legitimate program was reported by 7%. Also, 6% said its devices were "infected" after opening an attachment to email. The majority of European respondents (13%) could not explain how the malware came to its device.
It is worth noting that four out of five "malware" infections have caused problems for their victims. Most of the time (32% of cases in Europe), users noticed the performance of their computer slowing, 28% of respondents reported experiences with embarrassing advertising messages (eg browser to redirect to unwanted websites) 18% of European Internet users found on their devices programs that were not installed with their permission.
In total, about one in three (28%) Europeans faced financial losses as a result of "malware" infection. Apart from the ransom they had to pay to the criminals, the victims spent money on device or data recovery, as well as software to neutralize the effects of "infection," while some were even forced to buy a new device to replace the old one. In cases of financial losses, the average cost of an attack amounted to $ 140 for European users.
"The costs and unpleasant consequences of" malware "infection can be avoided with a little caution. For example, we do not need to place unchecked USB sticks on a device. Also, we should only use official apps bedspread, keep up-to-date the operating system and applications, and scan the files with a security solution before opening them. The ability to predict potential problems and take preventative measures is key to keeping a safe user,explains Peter Aleshkin, Head of Consumer Marketing for its Emerging Markets Kaspersky Lab.
The solutions Kaspersky Internet Security - Multi-Device and Kaspersky Total Security - Multi-Device protect devices running Windows, OS X and Android. Designed to protect users from a wide range of threats, including malware, unauthorized attempts to access a webcam, cryptomalware, vulnerabilities in popular applications, etc. Kaspersky's arsenal Lab includes free apps for different platforms, so that internet users can check for "infections" or vulnerabilities in their devices.
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