Moscow-based antivirus software maker Kaspersky Lab shared the evolution of the digital threat landscape in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) and worldwide during its annual Cyber Security Weekend. The event took place in Cape Town, South Africa.
Experts from Kaspersky Lab’s Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) and featured experts discussed various topics and threats facing organisations and ordinary users nowadays, and shared the required steps to stay safe. Particular focus was laid on modern and emerging technologies such as IoT security, blockchain, and industry-specific threats that can have direct impact on business success and longevity.
Highlighted among the information shared was the META threat landscape during the first quarter of 2019. Kaspersky Lab reported more than 150 million malware attacks in Q1 alone, representing an average of 1.6 million attacks per day, and an alarming 108 percent increase over the first quarter of 2018. With some of the highest mobile phone penetration rates in the world, it is no surprise that the META region also attracts a significant share of malware attacks targeted at mobiles. Mobile malware attacks in META in the first quarter of 2019 numbered more than 368,000, an average of 4,098 per day, and a spike of 118 percent when compared to the first quarter of 2018.
The META region also faced consistent attacks during the first quarter 2019 in areas such as:
- Crypto-mining Malware: 3.16m attacks; daily average of 35,000; 146 percent increase over the first quarter 2018
- Phishing: 5.83 million attacks; daily average of 64,000; 334 percent increase over the first quarter of 2018
- Ransomware: 193,000 attacks; daily average of 2.1,000; 18% percent decrease over the first quarter of 2018
“A drop in ransomware incidents is a great showcase of the security consciousness that is growing in the META region. At the same time, we have to realise that if there are less ransomware attacks, malicious attention is being diverted elsewhere.” said Amin Hasbini, Senior security Researcher of the Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky Lab.
“Personal and organisation-facing financial threats seem to be growing unabated, and we are using Cyber Security Weekend as a platform to strengthen awareness of new and emerging areas of vulnerability,” Hasbini added.
Calling the continuing need for security awareness and education into clear relief, the Kaspersky Security Network cloud service statistics showed that an average of 27.3 percent of all users in the META region were affected by web threat incidents during the first quarter of 2019.
Saudi Arabia had the highest number of users (35.9 percent), while Namibia had the lowest (18.5 percent). Nearly half of all users (average 49.3 percent) in the META region have reported local threats, such as those spread in local networks, via USB/CD/DVD, with the highest concentration in Kenya (56.8 percent), and the lowest in South Africa (43.6 percent).
