90 per cent of Companies Underestimate the Volume of Malicious Software

ABINGDON, England, June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Few companies aware of how much new malware appears every day

Most companies greatly underestimate the number of new malicious programs appearing daily, and only six per cent recognise the true scale of the threat, according to the 2013 Global Corporate IT Security Risks survey conducted by analytical authority B2B International and Kaspersky Lab in spring this year.

According to Kaspersky Lab, nearly 200,000 new malware samples appear around the world each day. Asked to estimate this figure, 90 per cent of global participants in the survey named a lower figure; four per cent guessed too high and only six per cent gave an accurate estimate.

The highest levels of malware awareness were found among respondents in the Middle East, where 24 per cent of companies gave accurate estimates. At 4 per cent, the lowest levels of malware knowledge were found in Russia. Kaspersky Lab found that in other regions, including North and South America, Western Europe and Asia-Pacific, the percentage of companies with accurate estimates ranged from five per cent to seven per cent.

Remarkably, the results of the same survey revealed that an average 66 per cent of companies had experienced at least one attack involving malware in the previous 12 months. The companies most frequently targeted in those attacks were located in South America (72 per cent), Russia (71 per cent), North America (70 per cent), Asia-Pacific (68 per cent) and Western Europe (63 per cent). Not surprisingly, these are the regions which demonstrated relatively low levels of education about the number of new malware threats.

While a company's ability to accurately assess daily malware volumes is not necessarily an indicator of preparedness to counter cyber-attacks, it is reasonable to suggest that better informed organisations are more capable of assessing risk and making the most suitable choices when it comes to protecting IT infrastructure - such as implementing Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business. The product includes targeted and developed features that work not only to protect a company's IT infrastructure, but to manage it as well.

About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is the world's largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world's top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its 15-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for consumers, SMBs and large enterprises. The company currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 300 million users worldwide. Learn more at http://www.kaspersky.co.uk.

* The company was rated fourth in the IDC rating Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2011. The rating was published in the IDC report "Worldwide Endpoint Security 2012-2016 Forecast and 2011 Vendor Shares (IDC #235930, July 2012). The report ranked software vendors according to earnings from sales of endpoint security solutions in 2011.

Follow us on Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/kasperskyuk

Like us on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/Kaspersky

^© 2013 Kaspersky Lab. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for Kaspersky Lab products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Kaspersky Lab shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

Editorial contact:
Berkeley PR
Ella Thompson
kasperskylab@berkeleypr.co.uk
Telephone: +44(0)118-909-0909

1650 Arlington Business Park

RG7 4SA, Reading

Kaspersky Lab UK
Ruth Knowles
Ruth.Knowles@kasperskylab.co.uk
Telephone: +44(0)7590-440433

Milton Business Park
OX14 4RY, Oxford