Heena Sharma Blog

  Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky's detection systems discovered an average of 3,60,000 new malicious files every day over the past 12 months, a growth of 5.2 per cent when compared to the same period previous year. The growth was driven mostly by the number of Trojans -- malicious files capable of a range of actions, including deleting data and spying -- and backdoors, a specific type of Trojan that gives attackers remote control over the infected device, Kaspersky said in its 'Security Bulletin: Statistics of the Year Report'. "It's hard to know whether or not attackers were more active or our solutions detected more malicious files simply because of greater activity. It could be a combination of both," Denis Staforkin, security expert at Kaspersky, said in a statement. "Either way, we have registered a noticeable increase in the number of new malicious files this year, and this will most likely continue going into 2021 as employees continue ...

The latest offering of Norton , the security solution provider best known for its antivirus and internet security solutions, the Norton 360, doubles up as a service to safeguard privacy on the internet and also neutralise viruses and protect data. The Norton 360 suite includes device protection from viruses and internet security, access to secure virtual private network (VPN), cloud storage for backup, password manager and parental controls. Moreover, it is a single-security solution that covers computers (Windows and Mac) and mobile devices (iOS and Android). Being a subscription-based offering, the product comes in three yearly plans – Standard, Deluxe 3 Devices and Deluxe. In the standard plan it offers a single-device support, in Deluxe 3 three devices, and in Deluxe five devices. We used the Deluxe subscription and tested the product on Android smartphone and Windows-based notebook. Read More

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has cast a shadow on cyberspace as well. Subex, a Bengaluru-based firm that provides analytics to telecom service providers, said hackers are using the panic and confusion to trick employees and other stakeholders into downloading infected payloads or malware. In a situation where many employees work from home or access wi-fi networks that operate at enterprise-level security, devices such as routers can be hacked to plant a range of malware into handheld devices used by employees. “ Such devices could be turned into zombies or bots and added to botnets or used to launch attacks on systems and networks it connects once the employee is back in the office,” said Prayukth K V, chief marketing officer, Internet of things (IoT), Subex. Subex said this indicates a high level of adaptability as far as hackers are concerned. It said there were concerns that the outbreak could be used to breach networks and infrastructure components to either atta...