Fully Local-Made Malicious Software Increasing in South Africa: AVG

According to AVG a security software company, locally-developed malicious programs are starting to take grip of South Africa that may imply more rates of success by online-crooks, published Business Live dated September 12, 2011.

Vice-President for International Sales Peter Baxter of AVG said that there were approximately a mean of 6.9m computer-operators within Africa. The figure was around 200% more from 2007 as opposed to the UK and US the other bulk economies. AFRICA published this on September 12, 2011.

Additionally Baxter stated that it was being currently observed that malware created in South Africa was truly localized. As per him, the percentage of failure in making general malware was more compared to if customized for particular regions or markets. Incidentally, in South Africa the local banks were being targets of attacks.

Baxter further stated that 80% of malicious programs presently were web-based rather than e-mail based within the country.

He also indicated an increase in social network account hacking through which cyber-criminals could glean information. He drew an analogy between online-crime operations against social-networking websites with one huge weighty toddler embracing a cookie container, implying that information on such websites was aplenty.

At present, the time consumers in SA devote online is approximately 45% of the total compared to what it was in 2007, accounting for a rise of approximately 32% for overall website access.

Within any business condition, AVG stated that as technological gadgets increased in number, they gave an increased scope for the online-crooks. According to the company, more smart-phones as well as same kind of gadgets were being connected as also synchronized with work PCs.

Notably, cyber-criminals, presently, are observing the development of a market inside SA wherein 15% of virus increases are expected in contrast with other countries.

In the meantime, Baxter emphasized that a huge 60% of users set their passwords after the name of their pets while frequently that detail became knowledgeable on their social-networking profiles that facilitated identity theft.

Contextually, during 2010, a study by AVG revealed that out of the fifty most popular social-networking websites, 19,491 web-pages were hijacked from which 11,701 belonged to Facebook.

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» SPAMfighter News - 9/21/2011