Kaspersky: Number of web-based infections increases in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — A cybersecurity company on Thursday said that there was about 230-percent increase in the annual web-based infections recorded in the Philippines in 2018.

According to Kaspersky, there were 31,887,231 web threats in the country recorded in 2018, compared to 9,487,775 threats in 2017.

“These web threats were scanned and blocked by Kaspersky Lab products when its users accessed websites or downloaded online files,” Kaspersky said in a statement released Thursday.

The global cybersecurity company also said that 82.46 percent of web threats have attempted to attack Philippine home users from January to December of 2018.

Meanwhile, Kaspersky also recorded what kinds of websites were most popular among Filipino children, with the highest rate being software, audio and video sites having a 42.04 percent; internet communication sites (social networks, messengers, chats, etc.) at 29.17 percent; e-commerce (online stores) at 16.04 percent; news sites at 4.76 percent; and computer games at 3.76 percent.

With this, Kaspersky then advised parents to keep a closer look at their children’s online activities.

“When it comes to kids’ online safety though, we recommend that parents should step in so that the balance is tipped to good,” General Manager for Kaspersky Southeast Asia Yeo Siang Tiong said in a statement.

“By staying in constant with them plus getting a little help from advanced security solutions, parents can continue to harness the positive benefits of the internet and keep their children safe from online dangers simultaneously,” he added. (Editor: Jonathan P. Vicente)

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