Kaspersky has launched in the Philippines the latest versions of the company’s security software for home Internet users.
The Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2014 software have been beefed up with technologies like ZETA Shield and Automatic Exploit Prevention, to prevent the most sophisticated and money-threatening cyberattacks, while the Trusted Applications Mode ensures that only legitimate applications are launched.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2014 delivers essential antivirus technologies for your PC – with real-time, cloud-assisted protection against the latest malware threats. Working ‘behind the scenes’ – with intelligent virus scanning and small, frequent updates.
On the other hand, Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 protects you against malware and Internet-based threats — including cybercriminals that try to steal your money or your identity.
“The online threats to our customers’ financial data and personal information are real, they’re here and they continue to evolve really fast,” said Jimmy Fong, Kaspersky Lab Southeast Asia’s Channel Sales Director.
Currently, the number of malicious and high-risk threats and other cybercrime attacks is increasing at a faster rate. According to the cloud-based Kaspersky Security Network (KSN), about 200,000 new malware samples emerge every day, compared with the 125,000 a year ago. Cybercriminals make millions of dollars by using malware, including sophisticated Trojans and phishing scams that hijack online bank accounts and social networking profiles.
Another KSN data showed that at least 7.5 million Kaspersky Lab customers worldwide were targeted by phishing attacks between April 2012 and May 2013. These scams, commonly sent through carefully crafted email designed to appear legitimate, attempted to steal online banking credentials and other critical financial details. However, since KSN only tracks Kaspersky Lab customers, the total number of Internet users worldwide who were targeted by phishing attacks is likely in the hundreds of millions.
Victims of online fraud
A B2B International study conducted in July 2013 best exemplifies the growing online threats when it revealed that 62% of Internet users experienced at least one attack related to online banking, shopping or payment services during the last 12 months.
Even after the fraud was identified, 41% of these victims failed to get their money back. According to various industry sources, approximately 700 million people around the world regularly use online banking.
For his part, Bryan Sat, Kaspersky Lab Business Development Manager for the Philippines, believes that having a local seven million strong active credit card user base and the Filipino’s growing inclination towards patronizing online transactions over the traditional payment system has both its upsides and downsides.
“I see that making online transactions for banking and shopping is encouraged here. Users do it even through mobile devices now, albeit slowly. I think it is good news because Filipino consumers are given a lot of convenience, efficiency and flexibility by doing so,” Sat said.
Sat, however, warned that this puts them at a high risk of becoming victims of online fraud and their social networking profile might be prone to hijacking, if online safety is not prioritized. “There may not be a grand incident of a phishing scam or online fraud case yet in the Philippines, but there is no reason to let our guards down.”
The latest versions of security solutions have significantly improve user protection as several innovative antivirus technologies have been included to them. Both have Kaspersky Lab’s proprietary ZETA Shield antivirus technology which performs an in-depth scan of files and applications running on the computer to identify malware that may hike deep within individual components of each program.
Automatic Exploit Prevention
The solutions have Automatic Exploit Prevention (AEP) technology which scans programs for behavior typically found in exploits – a type of malware that infects the PC through vulnerabilities in legitimate software.
AEP closely monitors programs that are most frequently targeted by cybercriminals such as Java and Adobe Reader. It blocks cybercriminals from using unknown gaps in legitimate software to penetrate a computer’s defenses. By looking for suspicious behavior, AEP can detect the most recent and dangerous threats, including threats so new that they haven’t yet been identified by antivirus vendors.
Familiar threats like Trojan ransonware can block access to computers and demand payments to unblock the victims’ machines, sometimes even when an antivirus solution is installed on the system. But with the solutions’ Anti-Blocker feature, this ransonware is no longer a threat. If users of these solutions face a demand for payment to unblock their computer, they only have to press one simple key combination and Anti-Blocker will find and remove the malware completely.
Safe Money
The Safe Money technology, initially introduced in the previous version of Internet Security has been improved in the 2014 edition, that includes support for more Web browsers, and a significantly expanded list of trusted online banking sites, payment services, and online stores.
The Trusted Applications mode, which protects computers by allowing the launch of applications that are identified as safe to use, is a major innovation in the latest version. This mode features a multi-level system which checks the legitimacy of programs and an intelligent system that can adapt to a particular user, providing a high level of security.
The mode is based on extensive and constantly updated Kaspersky Whitelisting database of over 700 million unique entries with thorough description of all popular applications including operating systems, browsers, image viewers, video players, games, and more.
Parental Control
The improved Parental Control capabilities of Internet Security 2014, intended for online users with children, provides flexible controls over all possible scenarios in which a child might use the computer. This feature includes a set of default profiles that contain computer-use scenarios appropriate for different age groups, while still giving parents the freedom to modify these settings at their discretion.
The solutions have been optimized to ensure minimal consumption of PC resources. Aside from becoming easier to use, Kaspersky Lab products have integrated socialization functions, allowing users to help their friends on social networking sites to make their computers more secure.
Currently available in all leading IT stores in the Philippines, the 1-user, 3-user and 5-user of Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 retails for Php1,160, Php1,980, and Php3,080, respectively. For Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2014, the 1-user, 3-user and 5-user costs Php760, Php1,420, and Php2,120, respectively. A special sale promo is still ongoing where specially-marked KIS and KAV 2014 boxes will come with extra license for free, valid for one year.