Kaspersky: Maware deals financial losses to online consumers

 The 2015 Consumer Security Risks Survey conducted by Kaspersky Lab with B2B International has revealed that online consumers lose an average of $160 to malicious software (malware) attack.

The survey results, which showed that one in three (33%) of those surveyed suffered a malware infection also experienced a financial loss as a result, revealed further that victims spent money on professional repairs, software to eliminate the effects of an infection and some even had to buy a replacement device.

Looking at the causes of the malware attack; 12 percent of those surveyed believe their device was infected after visiting a suspicious website.

[blockquote right=”pull-right” cite=”Elena Kharchenko, Head of Consumer Product Management, Kaspersky Lab”]“The costs and unpleasant effects of a malware infection can be avoided with a little prudence. For instance, do not insert unverified USB sticks in a device, only use official app stores, keep the operating system and applications up to date and scan files with a security solution before opening them. The ability to foresee potential problems and take precautions is the key to staying safe.” [/blockquote]

Another eight percent cited that using someone else’s USB flash drive, using another infected device, and installing a malicious app disguised as a legitimate program were the cause of infection.

Yet another seven percent of those surveyed said their devices were infected after opening an email attachment. Thirteen percent, could not explain how malware ended up on their device.

The consequence of a malware attack include slower computer performance for 35 percent of those surveyed. For some, an infection resulted in changes to a browser or the operating system settings without the user’s permission (17%). Also around one in ten were hit by a more severe impact, including data locking (11%), the deletion of personal data (10%), fraudulent social media posts (9%) and hacked webcams (6%).

“The costs and unpleasant effects of a malware infection can be avoided with a little prudence. For instance, do not insert unverified USB sticks in a device, only use official app stores, keep the operating system and applications up to date and scan files with a security solution before opening them. The ability to foresee potential problems and take precautions is the key to staying safe,” explains Elena Kharchenko, Head of Consumer Product Management, Kaspersky Lab