Kaspersky Lab urges UK households to ensure their computers are not leaving a virtual front door wide open
The City of London has this week been reported as being the most likely place in the UK to be burgled, however, Kaspersky Lab warns that an unprotected computer can be the equivalent of leaving the key in the front door and the windows wide open.
Recent statistics published by lovemoney.com report that with 46.35 burglaries per 1000 homes, the City of London is statistically the worst place for this type of crime in the UK. Meanwhile, Ceredigion in Wales is the safest place to live in the UK with 2.84 burglaries per 1000 people. Yet as Kaspersky Lab advises, cybercriminals from around the world do not discriminate by village, town or city and the number of attacks are on the increase. Last year Kaspersky Lab saw more than 14 million new malicious programs and it processes an average of 30,000 malicious and potentially unwanted programs each day.
A burglar will look for homes that can be entered with relative ease and once they have access they will quickly seek out items of high value such as cash, jewellery, games consoles, laptops etc. The same is true of cybercriminals who use sophisticated and persistent programs to 'break-in' to any Internet connected computer that is not adequately secured and then search for information that could have value, for example bank account details, logins and passwords to online shopping accounts etc.
David Jacoby, Senior Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team at Kaspersky Lab says: "Today, it is a sad reality that criminals are using every means possible to get a foot in the door of UK homes and whilst no one would leave their house without locking the doors and shutting all windows, failing to secure every computer is potentially leaving people vulnerable to theft, identity fraud and sometimes worse."
It is often the case that the value of the information stored within a computer actually has more value that the machine itself, whether this is financial data such as bank details giving access to the account, or sentimental files including family videos and photos that could not be replaced once gone.
Ensuring all computers within the home are protected with the most up-to-date security software is as vital as the locks on the doors and shredding confidential information, but it must also be accompanied by some good common sense. Jacoby explains the consequences of one particular individual: "I recently heard the story of a woman who was burgaled whilst on holiday. When the police asked her if she had told anyone she was going to be away from home the reply was ‘I only posted it on Facebook'."
Available from July 2010, Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 protects consumers' digital identity and money online. Kaspersky Lab's flagship product offers consumers unsurpassed protection against all kinds of threats. The new generation takes full advantage of the most innovative security technologies to keep PCs and laptops clean and families safe. For more information please visit: http://www.kaspersky.co.uk/kis2011.
