Kaspersky: Be aware of fake eWallet apps during Hari Raya season due to increase in malware attempts

Kaspersky Security Network reported that they detected 103,573 mobile malware attempts in Malaysia in 2020. A whopping 99.9% of the threats were targeted on Android, while the other 0.1% of the threats were on iOS.

Malaysia was also the top eighth country last year for the most amount of users attacked by mobile malware—at 19.68%. The country with the most number of attacked users—Iran—led the poll at 67.78%.

According to Kaspersky Asia Pacific managing director Chris Connell, cybercriminals have “several tactics on their sleeves” to try and infect smartphones with malware. They include tricking consumers into downloading fake eWallet apps.

Kaspersky noted that cybercriminals choose “interested topics” according to situations in the world to entice victims. COVID-19 was the biggest subject in 2020 used for infection or to cheat victims out of their money.

However, territory manager Nicole Woo stressed that Hari Raya is also a subject used by cybercriminals. This is especially as consumers use cashless apps from different types of eWallet providers and banks.

“We should be extra cautious towards these possible threats to trick the consumers,” she said.

Connell said that it would “undoubtedly be safer” to use digital payments “as long as proper safety measures are followed” when it comes to ‘Duit Raya’. He added that consumer awareness is “one of the most critical components” of mitigating cyber risks—especially as Malaysia takes on trends like digitalisation and 5G.

Besides trying to raise awareness about mobile malware, Kaspersky has also revealed information about digital reputations last year. 3-in-10 users in Asia Pacific admitted to having a social media profile without their real names, photos, and personally identifiable information. 34% of those surveyed use these accounts to be able to disagree with someone or a news piece online without using their real identities. 22% of them were also engaged in online stalking.

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