One in two web users has encountered malware! A joint study by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab highlights that 45% of all users surveyed encountered some form of malware while surfing the web on their computer, laptop or mobile device in the past year .
The report highlights a rising trend in Internet Security, which saw increased activity over the past year like never before.
Taking a look at the statistics, the survey indicates that 13% of users did not know exactly how they were infected, while 12% blamed visiting suspicious websites.
Most of the malware occurred while browsing the internet on computers running Windows, which is normal, since Windows is a prime target for hackers.
35% of users identified malicious infections due to their device's poor performance, 30% reported being redirected to websites they did not intend to visit, and 20% had malware on their devices.
Additionally, one in three users reported financial losses due to infections, with costs mainly stemming from replacing damaged equipment or paying a professional to repair or reinstall software or the operating system on their device. The average cost was $160 / €140.
Among other things, the survey also addressed identity theft. 36% of respondents claimed to have encountered at least one case where someone tried to steal personal and private data during the past year.
