Kaspersky Places Philippines 4th in Global Ranking of Countries Most Targeted by Web Threats

Prominent cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has ranked the Philippines as among the countries most targeted by web threats, based on a report by its cloud-based threat intelligence service Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) published over the weekend. The report notes that the Philippines is now 4th at the 2021 global ranking of countries targeted by web threats, putting it 2 places higher.

Over 50 million web threat attempts in the country were detected and restrained in 2021, most of which were done through web browsers. KSN notes that as Filipinos continue to surf, bank, work, and study from home during the prolonged global pandemic, the Philippines “had a heightened exposure to further dangers of the internet.”

“Because of the internet, carrying on with work and school during the pandemic has been significantly possible. The internet has also provided people a temporary escape from real life during lockdowns. This is true not just for Filipinos but for everyone around the world,” added Kaspersky general manager for Southeast Asia Yeo Siang Tiong.

“Throughout this period until now that we are recovering and adapting to the new normal though, we have been seeing nonstop activities from cybercriminals who have been honing their skills,” explained Tiong further. “Unfortunately, this means people will be more vulnerable to cyber-intrusion. We cannot stop using the internet so we really encourage Filipinos to be extra cautious and really get into the habit of practicing cyber-hygiene,” he affirmed.

“These basic habits remain the same and include regularly scanning devices for viruses, changing passwords, keeping apps, software, and operating systems up to date, and wiping your hard drive.” KSN gathers information on suspicious and malicious files attempting to penetrate internet-connected computers with permission from users who utilize Kaspersky products. Kaspersky then analyzes the information at its two data centers in Zurich, Switzerland.

Sources: Manila Times, SunStar