industry unlocked
Maher Yamout, Senior Security Researcher for the
Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky
It is undisputable that businesses must operate
with up to date systems to ensure they are most
secure. We explore the ramifications of not
doing so and why Africans are being exposed to
financial attacks and how to avoid them.
2020 SEES BANKING INFECTIONS
WITH AFRICAN USERS VULNERABLE
INTENSIFY
KKaspersky statistics show that while the cases of
downloading malicious programs targeting users’
bank accounts has become more frequent within
2020, 34% of South African computers may be
more at risk of infection without users’ knowledge,
as they rely on an outdated or unsupported
version of Microsoft Windows operating system
(OS). Considering that this OS is the most popular
software in the world and has a 21.15% market
share in the country as of March this year, this
reality is a cause for concern.
“There is no code without bugs and no program
is perfect. This is why there are security updates
– they are meant to find and close potential
gaps, before threat actors find and exploit them.
They are especially important when it comes
to the OS – as the OS is the heart of devices
such as laptops, smartphones and tablets. This
software ensures that the system performs well
and provides the means for people to live in a
connected way in this digital era. If this ‘heart’
is outdated or unsupported, it is not only the
user experience that will suffer, but there is
significant risk that sensitive information could
become compromised. Windows does a great
job with constant updates, and users should be
using this opportunity to ensure protection from
cyber-based threats,” said Maher Yamout, Senior
Security Researcher for the Global Research and
Analysis Team at Kaspersky.
House of cards
Inevitably, an unsupported or outdated OS
will contain vulnerabilities that have not been
patched. As such, malicious users can target
these weak points to gain access to
the system and all its data. Even worse,
if this computer is on a network (as
most systems are today), the entire
environment risks compromise.
“It does not matter if an organisation
has the best cybersecurity solutions
available, if there is even one device
running an outdated OS then the whole
company is compromised. This is as
much an educational issue as it is a
practical one. People are creatures of
habit and many are resistant to change,
especially when it comes to their OS.
Our research shows that in South Africa,
5% of the unsupported OS market
consists of people still using Windows XP.
Frighteningly, it had its end of life in 2014.”
Even Windows 7, which was another
popular choice for consumers and
businesses alike, has seen its extended
support come to an end in January
this year.
Banking risk
But locally, this potential damage is not
limited to network and data compromise.
With malicious threats growing
and becoming more sophisticated,
unsupported or outdated operating
systems are an easy target for such
threats to be a success. Let’s take
malicious mobile banker packages –
designed to steal credentials and money
44 Issue 25 | www.intelligentciso.com