India ranked 12th in web-borne threats: Kaspersky Lab

India is ranked 12th worldwide when it comes to the dangers associated with surfing the web, according to a recent report by global cybersecurity company, Kaspersky Lab.

In the third quarter (July- September), 32.8 per cent of the users were attacked by web-borne threats in India.

Kaspersky Lab products detected 48,093,743 Internet-borne malware incidents on the computers of KSN participants in India.

Under exploiting vulnerabilities in browsers and their plugins (drive-by download), the infection took place when visiting an infected website, without any intervention from the user and without their knowledge. This is apparently the number one method utilized by cybercriminals, the one used in the majority of attacks.

"Protection against such attacks requires an Internet Security class solution capable of detecting threats as they are being downloaded from the Internet and the timely installation of all the latest updates for the browser and its plugins," read a statement from the company.

"Another key technology, developed by Kaspersky Lab, is Automatic Exploit Prevention, designed specifically to fight complex web threats, exploiting newly discovered vulnerabilities in software," the statement said.

Shrenik Bhayani, General Manager, Kaspersky Lab South Asia, said, "India is the second largest country when it comes to its population. The number of people who use the internet on a day to day basis has also increased now more than ever because of the 4G and 5G networks being introduced. This also makes India a potential victim to cyber attackers. It is known that money is the main motivation behind a cyber attack, and India being one of the largest and developing populations cannot afford to be vulnerable online. We need to be more aware and more secure online" said

'Social engineering' is another form of attack, which requires user participation, with the user having to download the malicious file to their computer.

"This happens when the cybercriminal tricks the victim into believing they are downloading a legitimate program. Protection against such attacks requires a web antivirus solution capable of detecting threats as they are being downloaded from the Internet," the statement added.

In the period July-September 2018, Kaspersky Lab products detected 68,405,291 local malware incidents on the computers of KSN participants in India. Overall, 56.1 per cent of users in India were attacked by local threats during this period. This puts us in the 53rd place worldwide.

Kaspersky Lab has advised users to "Keep the operating systems (OS) and application on your computers and devices updated all the time. Ensure all your programs have the latest version of antivirus software installed. Be vigilant. Avoid opening unsolicited email attachments, visiting unknown websites, or downloading software from untrustworthy sites or peer-to-peer file transfer.