ISLAMABAD: According to Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence, around 10 million devices were compromised by data theft globally in 2023.
443,000 websites worldwide have had their credentials hijacked in the last five years, according to Kaspersky’s research. hijacked accounts can be traced back to the.com domain; in 2023, around 326 million website login credentials were hijacked. While 2.4 million Pakistani.pk domain accounts were compromised.
A statement claims that the most recent data theft reports indicate a 643 percent rise over the previous three years.
It’s likely that there are more infections than 10 million in reality. It said, “Kaspersky’s estimate of info-stealer log-file dynamics indicates that there will be approximately 16,000,000 infections in 2023.
Cybercriminals are stealing an average of 50.9 login credentials per compromised computer, which means that data-stealers are becoming a bigger menace to both consumers and companies. Kaspersky has established a special website to increase awareness of the problem and offer solutions for reducing related risks in light of this expanding threat.
Threat actors sell or share these credentials on dark web forums and shadow Telegram channels, or they use them for their own goals, such as launching cyberattacks.
These credentials might include social media logins, cryptocurrency wallet logins, online banking logins, and a variety of corporate internet services, like internal systems and email.
“The value of log files containing login passwords on the dark web fluctuates according on the demand for the data and how it is marketed there. Credentials can be sold via a “shop” that sells newly obtained login credentials to certain purchasers, a subscription service that uploads data on a regular basis, or a so-called “aggregator” for particular requests.
These stores usually start at $10 per log file. This emphasizes how important it is for people and businesses to remain vigilant, particularly those who deal with sizable internet user populations.
According to Hafeez Rahman, technical group manager at Kaspersky, “leaked credentials carry a major threat, enabling cybercriminals to execute various attacks such as unauthorised access for theft, social engineering, or impersonation.”
People have been urged to install a complete security solution on any device to prevent data theft.
