How Malware Messes Your Finances

Cyber-Criminals have become more sneaky at launching attacks on the devices we use daily, costing South African’s millions.

- Vanessa Papas

Malware. The word along strikes fear in the hearts of millions, and rightly so. Malware has become the most frequent online threat faced by consumers. even searching for your favourite celebs on the Internet can open up a can of worms. There’s even a list of the ‘most dangerous celebrities’ to search for, with comedienne Amy Schumer in top place, followed by Justin Bieber, Carson Daly, will smith, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Chris Hardwick, Daniel Tosh, Selena Gomez and Kesha. 

Research from Kaspersky lab – a global cyber security company – and B2B international shows that over half of south African respondents have come across, or been targeted by, malware online, with a fifth falling victim to it as a result. almost a third of internet users affected by malware have no idea how it ended up on their device. The ongoing scourge of malware across society as the route of infection and sophistication of attacks continues to increase. internet users locally face a range of problems as a result, including device slow down, the presence of pop-ups and unwanted adverts, and being redirected to suspicious websites. for some, their device has stopped working as a result of a malware virus. The impact on consumers is not only physical but financial, with nearly half of local users saying they have to spend money to fix a problem caused by a malware attack, at almost R2 000 per incident.