Malware attacks targeting SMEs surged in H1, says Kaspersky

MANILA  -Local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) dealt with more malware attacks during the first half of the year, signaling the need to set up a robust cyberdefense to prevent disruptions in business, according to cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

In a report on Monday, the Russian company noted that the number of malware attacks targeting SMEs in the country grew by more than four times to 1,847 in the first half from 434 in the same period a year ago.

The same trend was observed across Southeast Asia as Kasperksy blocked 44,022 cyberthreats against SMEs, showing a 364-percent increase from just 9,482 hits in the previous year.

READ: SMEs seen willing to spend 17% more to boost cybersecurity

Malware, which is short for malicious software, is designed to illegally access computer systems with the purpose of inflicting damages or disrupting operations.

“To meet the changing needs of their customers, it’s essential for this sector to embrace digitalization, albeit most are skipping the cybersecurity part of it,” said Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager of Kasperksy at Southeast Asia.

Kasperksy noted the attacks were usually launched to target employees’ devices via phishing emails and fake text messages, among others.

READ:  Cybersecurity 101 for SMEs

Users are often advised to ignore such messages to prevent themselves from accidentally sharing personal and sensitive information.

“It’s always easy—and popular— to think that your business is too small to be a target. Whatever business you’re in, as long as you’re using a computer or a mobile device that’s connected to the internet, you’re vulnerable to a cyber incident,” Yeo reminded SMEs.

According to Kaspersky Security Network, nearly half of the Filipinos were targeted by web threats last year, most of which are malwares.

But the company also warned against cyber criminals infiltrating network systems via web browsers in the form of drive-by downloads and social engineering.

Drive-by download attack happens when users visit a website and accidentally download malicious code while social engineering attack refers to tricking potential victims into downloading malware that appears to be legitimate software.