According to the "Smart Protection Network" report released by online security company Trend Micro, Brazil is the second country in the world that receives the most threats from viruses, inappropriate content, and spam in email, second only to the United States and ahead of China, Russia, and Japan.
In the month of September alone, Trend Micro blocked over 270 million malicious emails for its clients, indicating that the number should be absurdly higher among users without a security solution.
"It is extremely important for organizations to protect themselves in the best way, as the leakage of information to cybercriminals can cause harmful damage, both internally and to their customers' information," says Tales Casagrande, information security specialist at Trend Micro.
Specifically regarding malware, Brazil was also one of the most affected countries during this September, with around 2.6 million malicious programs detected. "The way to avoid malware and the damage it can cause is by fixing and shielding system vulnerabilities and equipping yourself with software that creates difficulties for cybercriminal invasion," explains Tales.
Additionally, Brazil also appears in 5th place among the five countries with the highest number of PoS (point-of-sale) malwares detected in August. This malware attempts to steal information related to financial transactions, including credit card information, affecting machines that allow retail locations to accept card payments. According to Tales, because of its effectiveness, PoS malwares should become increasingly widespread, even branching out into various other malware families.
"Financial malware is one of the biggest virtual threats in the corporate world, so the increase in its incidence is concerning, yet understandable, since threats grow as the technology market gains ground," concludes Casagrande.
Source: Security Report
Frequently asked questions
Why is email considered one of the biggest security risks in Brazil?
Email remains one of the channels cybercriminals most use to run scams such as phishing for personal and banking data, with messaging apps like WhatsApp being the other channel where they usually try to succeed. According to Trend Micro's "Smart Protection Network" report, Brazil is the second country in the world that receives the most threats from viruses, inappropriate content, and spam via email, ranking behind only the United States and ahead of China, Russia, and Japan.
How many malicious emails has Trend Micro blocked for clients in Brazil?
In September alone, Trend Micro blocked over 270 million malicious emails for its clients, a number the company says is likely even higher among users without a security solution. That same month, Brazil was also among the countries most affected by malware, with around 2.6 million malicious programs detected.
What is PoS malware and why does it concern retailers in Brazil?
PoS (point-of-sale) malware attempts to steal financial transaction data, including credit card information, by targeting the machines that let retail locations accept card payments. Trend Micro ranked Brazil 5th among the countries with the highest number of PoS malware detections in August, and specialist Tales Casagrande notes that, due to its effectiveness, this threat is expected to keep spreading into other malware families.