Kaspersky: There has been a 80-90% jump in the number of IOT malware as compared to last year

IoT devices or Internet of Things devices, simply put are devices that all of use on a daily basis such as smartphones, internet-connected security cameras, smart televisions, etc. Any smart device connected to the internet is an IoT device and is thus at risk of a cybersecurity threat. With the enormous use of such devices worldwide, the risks of such devices getting hacked are unimaginable and that calls for even better security measures.
In India too we are now coming across cases where Smart TV’s are being hacked through the inbuilt WiFi available and how the hacker can use the Smart TV camera to target the victim. Avery recent example was of a Surat man who fell victim to a Smart TV.

Kaspersky, one of the leading multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus providers in the world, recently participated in the much coveted Fraud & Breach Summit in Bengaluru.

Addressing the issue in the summit, Mr. Shrenik Bhayani, General Manager, Kaspersky (South Asia), said, “The cyber-threat landscape has become scarier than ever and this year, we have detected around 3,70,000 malware a day including an exponential increase (an 80-90% jump in the number of threats compared to last year) in cyber threats to IoT devices. Acting against cyber threats to IoT devices has become one of our key focus areas with our approach being more of detecting the threat first and followed by protective actions. One of Kaspersky’s evolving enterprise model-based solutions revolve around Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) technology, which allows for continuous monitoring for threats and responding to advanced threats, including those for IoT devices.”

“Our overall focus still remains on how to respond better after deploying all the technologies. With the evolving cybersecurity market, we are also evolving in terms of our enterprise solution part and further strengthening our service portfolio. We are closely working with the government and PSUs, and also large enterprises including FSIs so as to bring value to the table and minimize the magnitude and impact of these threats for our customers,” Bhayani added.