Financial malware attacks increased 23% in 2016 holiday period: Report

Owners and clients of e-shops, to credit card holders and banks should be aware of the dangers and take adequate steps to stay safe from financial malware attacks which are on the rise.

By GizBot Bureau
|

The number of users that encountered malware, capable of stealing money or valuable financial information, reached 3,19,000 in the fourth quarter of 2016 globally -- 22.49 per cent more than in the same period in 2015, global internet security giant Kaspersky Lab reported on Monday.

 
Financial malware attacks increased 23% in 2016 holiday period: Report

An increase in the number of attacks was spotted during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and during Christmas period.

 

Kaspersky Lab researchers conducted a retrospective look at the cyber threats landscape during the holiday period (October, November and December).

Financial malware attacks increased 23% in 2016 holiday period: Report

"Financial malware attacks are on the rise again and all their targets from owners and clients of e-shops, to credit card holders and banks should be aware of the dangers and take adequate steps to stay safe," said Oleg Kupreev, Security Expert, Kaspersky Lab, in a statement.

SEE ALSO: Here's the most common password of 2016

In November, Kaspersky Lab protection technologies detected a clear spike in the number of users attacked and on November 28 (Cyber Monday), there were twice as many users attacked than during the previous day.

When it comes to Black Friday and Christmas periods, the pattern is different, with the spikes in attack dynamics occurring one or two days prior to the actual holiday dates.

"Unlike Black Friday and Christmas, Cyber Monday is all about online sales, thus attackers see more sense in focusing their malicious campaigns on this particular date," the report noted.

Zbot, Nymaim, Shiotob, Gozi and Neurevt trojan malware were responsible for attacks against 92.35 per cent of users in the holiday period.

Source: IANS

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

Best Mobiles in India

Read More About: malware news internet virus cyber

Best Phones

Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Yes No
Settings X
X