Kaspersky Lab unveils Kuwait's malware behaviour
Trojans are the most common and dangerous malware in Kuwait accounting for over 45 per cent of the total online threats according to a study by Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions. According to the study, 51 per cent of online attacks in Kuwait this year will target Windows XP Professional with a further 17 per cent impacting Vista Home operating system.
Speaking at the ICT Security Forum in Kuwait yesterday, Maksym Schipka, Director, R&D, Europe, Kaspersky Lab, said that the number of malware samples detected year on year globally has grown from half a million in 2005 to over 16 million last year.
"Today's threat landscape is very different to that of just a few years ago. The signs are scary and individuals, businesses and government institutions need to be constantly alerted of the risks lurking in cyber space ready to take advantage of security gaps," said Schipka during his presentation "Threat Landscape 2010: Evolution or Revolution?
"Cybercriminals pose a significant security threat on critical infrastructure such as power grids and oil and gas wells which are becoming increasingly reliant on new computer technology and companies and governments need to invest in creating safer environments capable of withstanding attacks from virtual intruders or hackers," he added.
And with Kuwait being among one of the world's largest producers of fossil fuel the country's oil exploration sector could be a premium target for cybercriminals who use their advanced techniques to interfere with systems' security and demand ransoms for profit or for activists who use cyber attacks as a means to put governments under pressure for political ends.
"We've seen a number of cases where the cybercriminals targeted mission critical systems connected to the internet and either try to steal information from them or affect their operation," said Schipka.
"In the Middle East we have a great opportunity to design and deploy secure control systems and to maintain them secure for years to come. This is partly because of the high rate of adoption of new technologies which is required in the oil business in order to stay competitive and especially given how scarce the oil will become in the following 50 years. With natural resources like oil and gas becoming hard to explore and extract, their price will increase greatly and then we will see even more attacks designed to control the infrastructures they are build on. We need to act now and we need to do it right."
"One must remember that any system connected to the Internet can be attacked and sooner or later, a determined attacker will succeed into accessing it. That is why there have been documented incidents of hackers breaking to NASA computers or Governmental computers getting accessed through malware by foreign entities. We believe it is of extreme importance for Governments around the globe to evaluate the current situation and keep investing into the infrastructure required for tomorrow' secure communications, while maintaining flexibility and low costs."
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About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab, the most popular Russian and major European developer of secure content management solutions, is among the top four vendors of information security software worldwide. The Company's products securely protect the computers and mobile devices of over 250 million users globally and its technologies are integrated into the products of many of the leading hardware and software vendors. Kaspersky Lab is a group of companies headquartered in Moscow with five regional divisions and very many local representative offices. Learn more about the company at: http://www.kaspersky.com.
For further information please contact:
Cynthia Darwish
Associate Account Manager
GolinHarris
Dubai: +971 50216 3352
Tarek Abougabal
Account Executive
GolinHarris
Dubai: +971 50 1130411
© Press Release 2010
