Tag: Avast

Avast (LSE:AVST), a global leader in digital security and privacy, today released its latest Global PC Risk Report. The 2021 report provides insights into the digital threats home and business Windows users faced throughout the year 2021. On average, home users around the world had a 29.25% chance of encountering a threat, and in the US, home users had a 24.61% chance of encountering a threat.

“The threats we protect our customers from are designed to go after their personal information and money, putting them at risk. The risks they encounter threaten their right to use the internet safely and confidently,” said Jakub Kroustek, Avast Malware Research Director at Avast.

The countries in which home users are most at risk of encountering threats are:

1. Kosovo (53.71%)
2. China (48.11%)
3. Afghanistan (46.43%)
4. Yemen (46.21%)
5. Angola (44.65%)
6. Rwanda (44.61%)
7. Egypt (44.39%)
8. Madagascar (44.13%)
9. Algeria (44.05%)
10. Macao (44.01%)

The ten countries with the lowest risk of encountering threats are:

1. Puerto Rico (21.64 %)
2. South Korea (22.81%)
3. United Kingdom (23.55%)
4. Martinique (23.80%)
5. Guadeloupe (23.83%)
6. Ireland (24.11%)
7. Finland (24.21%)
8. Switzerland (24.23%)
9. Netherlands (24.27%)
10. Denmark (24.39%)

For the most part, the countries with the highest risk ratio are those with more unstable socio-political situations (Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe). The reason for this heightened risk ratio could be explained by these users having limited access to content, therefore forcing them to resort to accessing blocked content via unsafe channels. The digital infrastructure in these countries tend to have lower levels of security, for example, ISP or local webmail providers might not effectively detect and block threats before they reach endpoints, and thus the risk ratio is higher. Finally, a lower level of education in terms of cybersecurity best practices among computer users in these regions could explain the higher risk ratios.

The top ten types of malware consumers faced, globally, in 2021 were:

• Trojans (30.73%)
• File infectors (24.21%)
• Adware (12.69%)
• Worms (7.79%)
• Droppers (6.97%)
• Password stealers (3.99%)
• Coinminers (2.42%)
• RATs (2.34%)
• Scams (2.33%)
• Bots (1.74%)

The top ten types of malware American consumers faced in 2021 were:

• Trojans (32.26%)
• Adware (25.54%)
• File infectors (9.82%)
• Droppers (8.57%)
• Scams (7.15%)
• Worms (3.39%)
• Password stealer malware (2.83%)
• Coinminers (2.79%)
• RATs (2.25%)
• Hacktools (1.33%)

“In the past, malware was typically designed to perform one malicious action. Today malware are like swiss army knives, capable of performing more than one malicious action and often designed to deliver more malware, which can cause further damage,” continued Jakub Kroustek. “While ransomware attacks persisted in 2021, ransomware doesn’t belong to the top digital threats home users face. Ransomware is just the tip of the iceberg of the overall threats home users and businesses face worldwide. If ransomware hits, however, it can cause significant damage, which is why it is discussed and feared so widely, despite its relatively low overall share among threats.”

Avast’s 2021 Global PC Risk Report, including regional breakdowns can be found here:  https://press.avast.com/2021-avast-global-pc-risk-report

Methodology
The data included in this report is collected from Avast’s threat detection network, and represents the average ratio of Avast users protected from at least one threat divided by the total number of active Avast users from January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021. In order to provide statistically relevant data, this report includes data from countries and territories with a sample size of at least 10,000 computers belonging to home users that encountered threats during the months the data was collected, and at least 1,000 computers used by businesses. The regional breakdowns included in this report includes data from regions with a sample size of at least 1,000 computers belonging to home users that encountered threats during the months the data was collected and at least 100 computers used by businesses.

With hundreds of millions of users worldwide, Avast has one of the largest threat detection networks in the cybersecurity industry. The attacks on these devices provide valuable insights and knowledge of the most prevalent threats and those who have been most affected by them.

Avast (LSE: AVST), a global leader in digital security and privacy products, reveals there has been a 93% increase in the use of spyware and stalkerware apps¹ in the UK since lockdown measures were first introduced. In the past year, Avast has protected over 4,585 users in the UK from apps capable of spying, and 165,049 users across the globe. The volume of stalkerware and spyware apps in January and February of this year is a 93% increase on the same time last year before COVID restrictions were introduced.

This National Stalking Awareness Week, Avast continues to draw attention to the rise of stalkerware – unethical software that allows people to track someone’s location, without the victim’s knowledge or consent. Stalkerware gives the perpetrator access to a victim’s personal photos, videos, emails, texts and app communications such as WhatsApp and Facebook, as well as eavesdrop on phone calls and make covert recordings of conversations over the internet.

Jaya Baloo, Chief Information Security Officer, Avast, said, “The growth in stalkerware and spyware poses a huge concern. Stalkerware is a form of tech abuse, an increasing threat which takes away the physical and online freedom of the victim. Usually installed secretly on mobile phones by so-called friends, jealous spouses and ex-partners, stalkerware tracks the physical location of the victim, monitors sites visited, phone calls and text messages, undermining a person’s online freedom and individual liberty.”

Alarmingly, the growth in stalkerware seems to echo the increase in domestic abuse cases across the UK since lockdown measures came into force. Refuge, a national charity in England providing specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic abuse reported that calls to its helpline increased by two-thirds (66%) in the first three months of lockdown, with visits to its website increasing by 950%. Latest figures from the NHS,² also reveal there has been a 350% increase in the number of people searching online for domestic abuse support during lockdown compared to the previous year.

Jane Keeper, Director of Operations, Refuge, added: “This technology gives abusers another way to exert control over their victims whether we are in lockdown or not. Unfortunately, whilst Avast’s figures are concerning, we fear they are just the tip of the iceberg – many cases will go undetected. This is why Refuge is partnering with Avast, to help tackle this disturbing trend head on.”

Avast is committed to identifying and removing the threat of stalkerware. In 2019, Avast mobile threat researchers identified and worked to remove 8 stalkerware apps from the Google Play Store. Refuge and Avast are both members of the Coalition Against Stalkerware, a cross-industry organisation committed to fighting domestic abuse, stalking, and harassment by addressing the use of stalkerware and raising public awareness about this issue.

Jaya Baloo, CISO, Avast adds: “We’re proud to be working with members of the Coalition, to raise awareness of tech abuse, educate people on how to address it, and constantly to improve ways to prevent this threat.”

Here are  some simple steps to help people identify the signs of potential stalkerware and spyware on their devices and what they can do to protect themselves:

How to prevent stalkerware if you think you are at risk:

• Secure your phone against all unauthorised physical access: ensure your phone or device uses two factor authentication such as a pin code and a second form of identity confirmation such as an email backup or thumbprint.
• Install a reliable antivirus product on your mobile phone: a good mobile antivirus will treat stalkerware as a PUP (potentially unwanted programme) and give you the option to remove it.

How to spot the signs:

• You notice your device’s performance is suddenly and unexpectedly worse: you may notice slow-downs or more frequent crashes or freezes.
• Your settings have changed without your consent: if you suddenly have a new browser homepage, new icons on your desktop, a different default search engine, or other changes that you didn’t make, it might be due to stalkerware.
• You get odd messages: a sudden flood of pop-ups or error messages from programmes that always worked fine before may indicate spyware.
• You have unexplained calls on your bill.
• The abuser has had physical access to your device.
• The abuser knows things about what you’re doing, where you’re going and who you’ve been communicating with.

How to manually remove stalkerware from your phone:

• Reboot your phone into safe-mode: hold down your phone’s power button to see your Power off and Restart options. Long-press the Power off option and the Reboot to safe-mode option will appear. Tap OK.
• Remove any suspicious apps: once rebooted in safe mode, open up your Settings and tap Apps or Apps & notifications. Sort through your apps and look for anything you don’t recognise.
• Remove any Malicious Apps: tap Uninstall to remove it from your device. If you’re not sure if an app is malicious, search for the name of the app on the internet to see if other people have shared any issues with it.