Kaspersky logs almost 5M attacks vs work-from-home computers in PH

Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky has reported that brute-force attacks versus work-from-home computers in the Philippines showed an increase of 98.41% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. 

From January to June 2021, the company has recorded a total of 4,877,645 attempted attacks against users of its products and Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). This is a huge increase from the 2,458,364 attacks recorded from January to June last year. 

Data showing brute-force attacks vs users of Kaspersky solutions in the Philippines from January-June 2020 and January-June 2021.

A brute-force attack is a way to guess a password or encryption key by systematically trying all possible combinations of characters until the correct one is found. The RDP is Microsoft’s proprietary protocol (set of rules or procedures for transmitting data between computers through a network) used to control servers and remotely connect to other computers running Windows. 

A brute-force RDP attack targets a device running Windows (definitely using RDP) and tries to find a valid RDP login or password pair. If successful, it allows an attacker to gain remote access to the targeted host computer. 

In the Philippines, the majority of desktops are installed with Microsoft OS and these have been the devices heavily used by employees working remotely since the start of the pandemic. As early as March 2020, Kaspersky researchers have observed a skyrocketing increase in cybercriminal activity, particularly attacks against corporate resources when remote work was hastily pushed among employees worldwide.  

“The hurried mass transition to home working has given cyber attackers this logical conclusion that poorly configured RDP servers would surge and then we saw the number of attacks shoot up tremendously,” said Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Kaspersky Southeast Asia. 

“Attacks on remote-access infrastructure, including collaboration tools, are unlikely to stop any time soon so we call on businesses and employees to look into securing their work-from-home set-up better,” he added.

Companies whose workforce are using RDP are strongly urged to help their remote staff work safe by taking possible protective measures such as:

• Use strong passwords.
• Make RDP available only through a corporate VPN.
• Use Network Level Authentication (NLA).
• Enable two-factor authentication, if possible.
• Disable RDP if not using it and close port 3389.
• Use a reliable security solution. The Kaspersky Total Security (KTS) has the High-Tech Protection feature for advanced scanning to detect fileless malware and Zero-Day threats as well as the Extended Protection beneficial for securing the WI-FI network and peripherals. 

The High-Tech Protection in KTS informs the home computer user about malicious web address and their threat level, prevents questionable apps from accessing critical system processes and user’s personal data, as well as triggers screen alerts when a user attempts to visit dangerous sites. 

Users will also benefit from the Keylogger Protection feature of KTS that automatically stops keyloggers from recording a user’s keystrokes on a Windows PC to protect any private information entered on the keyboard. 

Apart from its reliable Anti-Virus defense for neutralizing malware, KTS also has a strong Anti-Hacking feature to prevent unauthorized access and hacker attacks against a user’s PC and mobile devices. 

KTS licenses from Shopee or Lazada come with special discounts this month for remotely-working Filipinos looking to protect their work devices.  

The post Kaspersky logs almost 5M attacks vs work-from-home computers in PH appeared first on Speed Magazine.

Source: Speed Magazine PH