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Statistics* show that 13.9% of South African
households own Tablet devices, and 66.3% of South Africans personally own a
smartphone. What's more, 74.2% of local tablet users indicate that they also
use a desktop PC, laptop and smartphone - in essence, multiple devices, all
of which access the Internet. But what percentage of these users have
thought about security for these devices?
Says Alexander Erofeev, Head of Strategic Marketing and Brand Communication
at Kaspersky Lab; "Smartphones, tablet devices and top-of-the-range
notebooks are making both personal and business lives of many individuals
much easier today, hence the reason why such devices are ultimate sellers!
It is only a natural progression that users are pursing such devices as they
offer an abundance of opportunity, especially for those constantly on the
move. However, using multiple devices requires a multiple security platform
as protecting ones PC only in this case is no longer enough. In line with
this, Kaspersky Lab have recently released Kaspersky ONE, a multi-platform,
user-centric Universal Security solution that brings comprehensive
protection for the wide range of personal devices, starting from personal
computers and notebooks and all the way to smartphones and tablets - exactly
what is needed to simply security in today's complex and multiple device
environment, is it not?"
Multiple devices are used every day to access the Internet and with this
comes the possibility of being exposed to potential security threats,
malware and viruses. In fact, in August 2010, Kaspersky Lab identified the
first Trojan for the Android platform, which masqueraded as a media player
app. In less than a year, Android malware quickly exploded and became the
most popular mobile malware category out there. This trend then became
obvious in Q3 of 2011, in which Kaspersky Lab discovered over 40% of all the
mobile malware they saw in 2011. Finally, critical mass was hit in November
2011 when they uncovered over 1000 malicious samples for Android, which is
almost as many as all the mobile malware the company has discovered in the
past six years!
Further to this, with the syncing abilities that these devices offer,
viruses can cross pollinate from one device to another, in essence affecting
all devices - causing major problems and serious security risks. "The
reality today is that reliable protection is needed for all Internet-enabled
devices, as the data stored across these devices needs to be protected.
Security can no longer be seen as only a multi-layered approach, but also
needs to be seen as a multi-platform one - ensuring that all aspects, and of
course, all devices, are secure," adds Erofeev.
The belief that only Windows systems need to be protected can be laid to
rest. It may be true that there is less malware for various alternative
platforms, however real threats that are entirely unrelated to the given
operating system are still very much an issue. Cyber criminals are out to
make big money no matter the platform or device being used. The lowest
common denominator of all these devices is Internet access.
"The diversity of traditional hardware and smart mobile devices is fast
leading the industry to the realisation of the need for multi-platform
security and device users need to pay attention to the universal security
required for these devices, whether in an individual, family or business
setting - these devices need to be protected today to ensure the safety and
protection of personal information and data for tomorrow," concludes
Erofeev.
*This survey was conducted by an independent research company "O+K" for
Kaspersky Lab, among Internet users in 20 countries all over the world in
several waves during the year 2011. In the last wave, conducted in October
2011, 7000 users participated. In South Africa, 273 users participated. |
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