Kaspersky: Financial malware is on the rise

PC security leader Kaspersky latest study finds a steady rise of financial malware where the number of cyber attacks involving financial malware in 2013, increased to 28.4 million - 27.6% more than 2012. This is partly attributed to the rise in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, which has been targeted by unscrupulous hackers.

New methonds in financial malware include banking Trojans, keyloggers and two relatively new classes of malware – one that steals from Bitcoin wallets and another that downloads software to generate the crypto-currency.

"Last year saw a significant increase in the proportion of financial cyber threats, with malware designed to steal money playing a key role. The popularity of banking Trojans and other programmes targeting financial data is due to the fact cybercriminals can use them to make money quickly. The current situation has forced users and financial institutions to take active measures against online threats, while security software vendors have to develop new protection solutions," commented Sergey Lozhkin, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

To counter financial cyber threats, Kaspersky Lab solutions for home users and small businesses integrate Safe Money technology that protects user data during online banking and e-payment sessions.

Companies that provide financial online services to their clients may benefit from Kaspersky Lab’s comprehensive Kaspersky Fraud Prevention platform. It was developed to deliver rigorous, multi-layered security for online transactions: a server solution to check customer transactions as well as applications to protect users’ computers and mobile devices. Check out an article on how to protect yourself from fraud.