India ranks 12th in web-related vulnerabilities: Kaspersky report

India ranks 12th globally when it comes to dangers associated with surfing the web, a report from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has shown.

According to the report, 32.8% of users in India were attacked by web-borne threats between July and September 2018. It further added that Kaspersky Lab products detected 48,093,743 internet-borne malware incidents on the computers of its security network companies in the country. 

“India is the second largest country when it comes to its population. The number of people who use th internet on a day-to-day basis has also increased now more than ever because of the 4G and 5G networks being introduced. This also makes India a potential victim to cyber attackers,” said Shrenik Bhayani, general manager, Kaspersky Lab South Asia.

The report further states that hackers exploited vulnerabilities in browsers or plugins, tried social engineering and also used malicious hosts.

Attacks via browsers or plugins take place when a user is visiting an infected website without knowledge, the report added. “This is the number one method utilised by cybercriminals in the majority of attacks. Protection against such attacks requires an internet security class solution capable of detecting threats as they are being downloaded from the Internet and the timely installation of all the latest updates for the browser and its plugins," the company statement said. 

The report also said that Kaspersky products identified a total of 68,405,291 local malware incidents and over 56.1% of its users were attacked during the third quarter. According to the company, these attacks were done mostly through social engineering which requires the user to download the malicious file to their computer. 

"This happens when the cybercriminal tricks the victim into believing they are downloading a legitimate programme. Protection against such attacks requires a web antivirus solution capable of detecting threats as they are being downloaded from the Internet," the company said.

India also created malicious programmes, the report said. The share of malicious incidents caused by malware hosted in India was 0.68%. In other words, India accounted for 6,450,023 malicious incidents in the July-September 2018 period, putting the country in the 9th place worldwide in that category, Kaspersky said.