One in three Indian computer users faced online threats during Q4 2018

Global cyber security company Kaspersky Lab said on Friday that 2018 was a challenging year for the cyber world with over 30 per cent of computer users in India hit by a web-based attack during October to December.

About 52.4 per cent of Indian users were targeted by a local threat, such as an infected USB device, said Kaspersky Lab's threat review overview based on data obtained and processed using the Kaspersky Security Network (KSN).

Attacks via browsers are the primary method for spreading malicious programmes to unsuspecting users. Kaspersky Lab products detected 39.7 million different internet-borne cyber threats on the computers of KSN participants in India (30.1 per cent of users).

This puts India in 21st place worldwide when it comes to the dangers associated with surfing the web.

"We have seen an increase in the number of cyber threats in the past two years, which is post demonetisation," said Shrenik Bhayani, General Manager at Kaspersky Lab (South Asia).

"As India is positively progressing digitally, the country's citizens and businesses should also be more careful and aware of the cyber threats that can be targeted towards them."

Bhayani said people should constantly be updated with the various cyber threats that are being used for cyber frauds, read up about them and also discuss the same with their family and friends in order to create awareness and avoid being the victim of a cyber threat.

While cyber security requires a holistic and multi-layer approach, basic online habits matter when it comes to avoiding web threats. Kaspersky Lab said users need to install business or consumer-grade security software to protect themselves from both online and local threats.

Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies. The company helps 270,000 corporate clients to protect what matters most to them. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)