Indian firms sixth most targeted in Asia, says Symantec report

India is no more just a source, but a destination for cyber attack. Symantec, the global leader in cybersecurity, has come up with an Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR) that says, in 2015, Indian organisations were the sixth most targeted in Asia, with targeted organisations on the receiving end of two attacks on an average.

“After the US and China, India ranks as the third top source in overall malicious activity. The country is no longer the source, but now a destination too,” said Tarun Kaura, Director (Solution Product Management) for Asia Pacific and Japan, Symantec. 

Cybercriminals employ people and even take weekends off. “It’s now like organised crime, and they no longer work like before in the garage or somewhere,” he said, adding that November was the busiest month for cybercriminals in India, and across the globe, with an average of 2.5 targeted attacks per day being aimed at Indian enterprises in the month. Organisations in public utilities and the financial sector that were targeted once were most likely to be targeted again at least two times more throughout the year. “Mining was the highest risk prone sector, where one out of two companies was attacked at least once last year. Around 40% of BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance) businesses witnessed at least one targeted attack,” he said.

Talking about Ransomware, Kaura said, “It spread beyond PCs to smarphones, Mac and Linux systems. India is the second most favoured destination for Ransomware in Asia.”

In 2015, India witnessed a 156% increase in the percentage of social media scams. “Every sixth scam impacted an Indian, making it the most targeted country in Asia and second in the world,” he said, explaining how wearable devices and Smart TVs are also targeted now. Tips for consumers*Use strong passwords*Think before you click*Protect yourself*Be wary of scareware tactics*Safeguard your personal data