QCOSTARICA — Protecting your cellphone with an antivirus or other type of software that protects your personal information, as well as taking preventive measures regarding the information you download or the links and web pages you visit is more urgent than you think.
In the Latin American region alone, 3.9 million attempted attacks against mobile devices were reported between July 2023 and July 2024.
This was announced by Kaspersky, a company specializing in cybersecurity and digital privacy in its Annual Threat Panorama for Latin America 2024 report, in which it details that the figures grew by 70% compared to what was detected in the same period between 2022 and 2023. This implies that 10,747 attacks were stopped per day, 7.46 per minute, on average in the area.
– Advertisement –
This upward trend is not surprising considering that the region is becoming more and more connected, said Fabio Assolini, director of the Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) for Latin America, at a meeting held by the company in Cartagena, Colombia.
The countries where the most attacks on mobile devices were blocked were Brazil (1.8 million attempts), Mexico (835,000), Ecuador (402,000) and Colombia (203,000).
In Central America and the Caribbean, more than 78,900 such attempts were recorded, however, that figure should not be taken lightly.
According to the company, if we compare the figures obtained between 2022 and 2023 and the most recent ones for the isthmus, it can be seen that in Panama there was a 159% increase in attempted attacks, in Costa Rica 100%, the Dominican Republic 85% and Guatemala 20%. This means that Kaspersky security programs blocked 54 attacks per day in those 4 countries alone.
The main threats detected were apps that display unwanted advertising, as well as platforms that offer loans with the mobile phone as collateral, but block access to the victim’s device if they do not pay the monthly installments, a threat called SpyLoan.
“Cellphones play a social role in Latin America, since they are primarily responsible for the digital inclusion of the population and constitute the main access to the Internet for users in the region. According to public data, 65% of the region’s population had a cell phone by the end of 2023. In addition, mobile devices are also increasingly popular as a means of payment through instant transfer apps such as PIX, Yape, Plin and other QR code methods,” said Assolini
– Advertisement –
What can you do to protect yourself? To avoid online scams on your mobile devices, Kaspersky recommends:
- Before installing any application, remember that not all apps from official stores are safe. It is important to check user comments and opinions, so you can find out what other people’s experiences have been with them.
- Before clicking on a link, check the address it redirects you to and the sender to make sure they are authentic.
- If you are not sure that a page or application is real and safe, do not enter personal data or make payments.
- In the case of stalkerware, you can find all the tips to know if you are being spied on here. Pay attention to your device, for example, if it overheats unnecessarily, the battery drains quickly or if it has speed problems.
– Advertisement –
Source link
Rico
