Malware has become the most common online threat to users, almost half (42%) were met online malware or have been targeted by it, 22% staying the victim shows a Kaspersky Lab and B2B International Research.
About a third (29%) of Internet users affected by malware have no idea how they got them on their device.
Malware effects
Malware is the main threat, and attacks are becoming increasingly complex. Internet users face this reason, a number of issues, including: device to run slowly (24%), presence of advertising pop-ups and spam (22%) and redirection to suspicious sites (13%). If 7% of respondents, their device stopped working at all due to a virus.
The impact on users is not only a physical, but also financially, one third of them (36%) saying that they have to spend money to solve a problem caused by a malicious attack, an average amount of 121 dollars per incident.
Malware spread in ways increasingly diverse and even if the source of infection with malware varies from case to case, the study revealed that the highest number of infections occurs when users visit suspicious sites ( 42%). False applications and programs (22%) and USB sticks (20%) are also cited by one respondent in five as a source of infection.
Malware infection via email
Also, e-mails and messages are a common source of infection of the device. Almost one fifth of respondents (18%) say that the virus has reached them via e-mail or through another message from someone you do not know, and for 16% the message came from a people I know. 29% of Internet users affected by malware do not know who could be the source.
"Malware is a constant headache for users, especially since cybercriminals have become more astute in to launch attacks on the devices we use every day," said Andrei Mochola, Head of Consumer Business at Kaspersky Lab.
