13,7% increase in the variety of malware due to web skimmers

In 2019, the number of unique malicious objects (malware) detected by online antivirus Kaspersky solutions increased by an eighth, compared to the previous year — reaching 24.610.126. This growth is primarily due to the 187% increase in web skimmer files. Other threats, such as backdoors and banking Trojans detected in the lab, also increased, while the presence of miners was halved.

These trends show a shift in the type of threats used by cyber-attackers looking for more effective ways to target users, according to a report by Kaspersky Statistics of the Year.

In 2018, the only malicious items (including scripts, exploits and executable files) detected by Kaspersky web antivirus solution reached 21.643.946, while this year they reached 24.610.126.

This development represents an increase in the number and variety of HTML pages and scripts with hidden data - usually used by rogue advertisers. More specifically, however, the increase was also caused in part by online skimmers (sometimes referred to as "sniffers") - where scripts are embedded by online store attackers and used to steal users' credit card data from websites.

The increase in the unique files of online skimmers (scripts and HTML) detected by Kaspersky solutions reaches 187%, reaching 510.000.

At the same time, the number of malware detected increased fivefold (an increase of 523%) to 2.660.000 in 2019. Web skimmers also entered the top 20 malicious items detected on the internet, taking 10th place in the overall ranking.

The share of new backdoors and banking Trojan files, among all types of threats detected in the lab, also increased by 134% and 61% to reach 7.644.402 and 739.551 respectively.

The presence of programs that secretly generate cryptocurrencies on users' computers (called "local" miners) has also steadily decreased over the year: the number of computers of users affected by attempts to install cryptocurrency miners decreased by 59%, from 5.638.828 to 2.259.038.

"The volume of cyber attacks has been increasing for years, but in 2019 we saw a clear shift from certain types of attacks that become ineffective, to those that focused on making a clear profit from users. This is partly because users are becoming more aware of the threats and how to avoid them, and organizations are becoming more consistently responsible. A good example is cryptocurrency mining programs, which have lost their popularity due to lower profitability and the battle of cryptocurrencies against covert mining. "This year, we also saw an increase in zero-day exploits, showing that products remain vulnerable and are used by attackers for sophisticated attacks, and this trend is likely to continue in the future," said Vyacheslav Zakorzhevsky, Head of Anti-Malware Research. in Kaspersky.

*Share of all attacks on-line malicioussoftware (malware) that detectsthey were on users' computers

More information can be found on the dedicated website Securelist.com.

To stay protected, Kaspersky recommends the following:

• Pay close attention and do not open suspicious files or attachments you receive from unknown sources.
• Do not download and install applications from unreliable sources.
• Do not do click on links obtained from unknown sources and suspicious online advertisements.
• Make strong passwords and do not forget to change them regularly.
• Always install updates. Some of them may contain fixes for critical security issues.
• Ignore messages asking you to disable security systems for office software or antivirus software.
• Use a strong security solution suitable for your system type and your devices.