According to Kaspersky data, in our country so far in 2024 more than 15 million online threats
Users in Greece rank first worldwide in terms of their exposure to cyber threats.
Global trends show that new malware detections will increase by 14% in 2024, reaching 467,000 samples daily, according to data from Kaspersky, a global digital security company founded in 1997, presented today. So far in 2024, Kaspersky solutions managed to protect users in Greece from over 15 million. online threats. Also, the most common threats include general exploitation incidents, password stealers, spyware, financial and banking malware, and ransomware.
“These statistics confirm our previous warnings that our market is becoming as attractive as global markets for cybercriminals. The digital transformation and the increasing reliance on online services and markets that facilitate everyday life, require internet users in our country to be more careful and informed in order to stay safe. For businesses, adequate protection of corporate infrastructure is necessary,” commented Vassilis Vlachos, Channel Manager of Kaspersky for Greece and Cyprus.
More specifically, during 2024, Greece ranked first worldwide in the countries with the highest risk of infection on the Internet, according to data from the Kaspersky Security Network, which was collected by anonymous users. The risk indicator is based on the frequency of activation of the Web Anti-Virus function on Kaspersky users’ devices, exclusively due to malware.
Specifically, Kaspersky products blocked 15,249,312 online threats, 715,838 general exploits, 583,904 password stealer attacks, 422,395 spyware cases, 117,329 financial and banking malware detections, as well as 25,650 ransomware attacks. Additionally, there was a 21.5% year-over-year increase in attempted attacks via the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), which allows employees to remotely log into their corporate computers. This development highlights the need for enhanced protection measures from businesses, especially at a time when teleworking has been established in Greece as well.
Greece’s alignment with global trends is also made clearer by observing that users of the SubsCrab app in Greece spend an average of €748 on subscriptions to online services, using 7.1 such services per person. In the top 5 list of global services with the most registered users are Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, YouTube Premium and Google One. This figure is slightly lower than the global average of 895 euros for 12 such services.
At the same time, a survey carried out in March of this year with the participation of more than 1,000 people in Greece highlighted the often incorrect use of modern technologies, with 46% of respondents confirming (or assuming) that they had been a victim of surveillance through some form of technology ( 13% via mobile app, 10% via unauthorized webcam access and 9% via laptop app). One in 3 (31%) respondents reported experiencing some form of harassment from their partner, ranging from spamming emails (16%) to being photographed or recorded without consent (6%), location tracking (7%), non-consensual access to social network accounts (6%) or installation of stalkerware (3%).
Regarding businesses, an in-depth survey conducted by Kaspersky in October this year in 27 markets worldwide revealed some interesting facts. More than half (51%) reported that malware had attempted to access their network, and one in five (19%) had data stolen. This percentage varied significantly by company size — while 11% of large businesses suffered data breaches in cyberattacks, this was much more common among small and medium-sized businesses (28%), indicating that large companies invest more of the budget in protecting their data compared to smaller ones.
The cost of these attacks in 2024, including immediate and remediation costs, dramatically exceeded $2 million for 65% of the largest enterprises. For small and medium-sized businesses the impact was also significant, with two-thirds (68%) reporting costs exceeding $50,000. Almost all cyber-attacked companies (99%) reported disruption to various activities (42% in communication, 40% in automated marketing, 35% in customer support, and 32% in product design or production), further highlighting the criticality of the effort for restoration.
However, only 10% of companies protect all of their corporate desktops, and just 8% protect their corporate mobile phones, leaving a lot of room for cybercriminals to exploit. Alongside gaps in infrastructure protection, only 58% of large and 46% of SMBs use professional training services for their employees, leaving them vulnerable to exploiting human error during attacks. This is supported by data, according to which 34% of successful attacks involved conscious or unconscious actions of employees.
“While this data highlights the severity of the challenges facing companies, it is encouraging that, for the first time, 100% of companies report implementing (or actively planning to implement) endpoint protection to shield their infrastructures. If companies take human risk management with the same seriousness, through proper employee education and training, they will be able to focus more on their operations and goals with fewer interruptions.” added Vassilis Vlachos.
