With employees working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, how can SMBs better protect against cybercriminals?
Stephan Neumeier, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky shared security tips during a webinar on “The Cyberthreat Landscape for SMBs in Singapore”.
Kaspersky experts suggest the following tips for SMBs to avoid being lured by cybercriminals through phishing, crypto-mining and ransomware.
In the first half of 2020, phishing attempts targeting SMBs in Singapore increased by 61%, mirroring similar increases across South East Asian countries.
Number of phishing attempts against SMBs blocked by Kaspersky Anti-Phishing System, year-on-year.
With the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating Singapore’s digitalisation efforts, SMBs have become the focal point of discussion for many, as funding worries and the shift to telecommuting have left them in no man’s land.
“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore continues to retain attraction as the region’s premier business hub, and speaks well of the local businesses’ ability to remain resilient despite headwinds from the global slowdown. However, almost half (41%) of businesses continue to express that the high costs of investment – lack of financing and funding – are major barriers holding them back from digitalisation. The implications of this statistic are significant, as it means cybersecurity may not be a key priority for businesses during this period of cost-cutting,” says Stephan Neumeier, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.
While the Government has launched generous initiatives such as the new training and adult education industry digitalisation plan to augment SMBs’ competitiveness, malicious actors continue to find new ways to test businesses’ digital readiness.
According to Kaspersky’s latest statistics, the global cybersecurity company foiled 89,351 phishing attacks against SMBs in H1 2020, compared to 55,653 in the same period last year.
Although Singapore continues to fare better than their SMB counterparts in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to witness the lowest volume of phishing attacks in Southeast Asia, the 61% increase suggests that more can be done by Singapore’s SMBs to improve their cybersecurity.
More details below from the presentation and press release.
Acronis True Image 2021 combines automated backup with antimalware defence to offer a comprehensive personal cyber protection solution. Perpetual & 1-year subscriptions available online, prices below.
Acronis True Image 2021 integrates real-time antimalware and on-demand antivirus with its established personal backup solution.
Acronis True Image 2021 is a cyber protection solution targeted at home users, prosumers, and small businesses around the world.
Four versions of Acronis True Image are available: Standard, Essential, Advanced and Premium.
One-computer licenses starting at S$82 for Standard and S$68 for Essential.
Special launch prices for Advanced and Premium licenses (starting at S$96 and S$137, respectively) are available until November 2020, at which time the full MSRP will be in effect (starting at S$123 and S$171, respectively).
* see price table below.
With COVID-19 forcing people to work from home, a recent Acronis survey found nearly half (47%) of remote workers never received clear guidance on working from home.
Incorporating cybersecurity capabilities such as real-time antimalware protection, on-demand antivirus scans, web filtering, and videoconference protection into Acronis True Image helps users enjoy greater cyber protection.
For individuals and small business users, unifying these vital capabilities in one solution makes their protection easier to manage and more affordable.
More details below from the press release.
Acronis True Image 2020 personal backup solution automates backups and replicates local backups in the cloud. Now includes cyber protection as well. Available online, prices below.
All versions (Standard, Advanced & Premium) include Acronis Active Protection, the AI-powered anti-malware defense, and cover an unlimited number of mobile devices. Subscription customers can purchase additional cloud storage as needed.
The new version enables users to automatically replicate local backups in the cloud, automating the 3-2-1 backup rule – having 3 copies, in 2 types of media, with 1 copy offsite.
The Dual Protection replication feature is one of more than 100 enhancements and new capabilities incorporated into Acronis True Image 2020 that are designed to further improve its performance, control, and security.
Acronis President, Co-Founder and COO, Stanislav Protassov, launched the new True Image 2020 in the company’s Singapore office at Suntec Tower 3.
The company’s vision of cyber protection combines traditional data protection and cybersecurity into one solution, addressing all Five Vectors of Cyber Protection – ensuring safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security of data (SAPAS).
Acronis boasts that this unique approach means Acronis True Image 2020 delivers easy, efficient, secure cyber protection to home users, prosumers, and home-based businesses.
Three versions of Acronis True Image are available as follows:
Acronis True Image 2019 offers AI-based Ransomware Shield and Blockchain authentication technologies to provide an additional layer of cyber protection for home users. Available now online: buy new from S$49.99, upgrade or try free for 30 days.
Acronis Founder and CEO, Serguei Beloussov, launched the new True Image 2019 in its Singapore office at Suntec Tower 3.
Acronis has released the 15-year Anniversary Edition of its personal backup software, Acronis True Image 2019.
Key capabilities of Acronis True Image 2019 include the following.
More details below from the press release.
The new ESET Smart TV Security was showcased during MWC 2018 to protect against targeted malware attacks on connected TVs and other devices with the Android TV operating system.
According to statistics, there could be as many as 30 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020. While these gadgets bring numerous benefits to households, they also pose a threat to consumers’ everyday lives.
Smart TVs – with their microphones, cameras and USB ports – are increasingly becoming prime targets for malware attacks.
“Given the risks to security and privacy, consumers need to think about protecting smart home devices in the same way they would protect their laptops, tablets or mobiles – they cannot treat them like an average TV, kettle, or watch,” said Branislav Orlik, Mobile Security Product Manager at ESET.
By gaining control over a smart TV, cybercriminals can not only attack other devices on the user’s home network but also spy on individuals to gather sensitive and personal data.
Smart TVs with Android TV OS will also undoubtedly contribute to the spread of Android ransomware, which has already been persistently targeting Android devices for a number of years.
The threat has now crossed over to Android TVs, as incidents of smart TV screen-locks and ransom demands reported in the news have illustrated.
The ESET Smart TV Security application protects consumers with the following security features.
If ransomware is activated, users are advised to switch their smart TV off/on while the virus database is updated and scanning is initiated.
“Users need to feel safe in the knowledge that they can watch their favourite shows and browse the internet on their smartphones without fear of being watched or having their personal data compromised. ESET is the top-rated provider of security solutions for Android OS devices, so we are the smart choice for consumers to ensure all the devices in their homes, and the data they collect, are kept secure,” explains Orlik.
When ESET Smart TV Security detects ransomware on the device, the user is advised to uninstall the malware.
Once uninstall is confirmed, the ransomware will be cleared.
ESET’s Smart TV Security is available for download via Google Play, and can only be downloaded from a user’s TV device.
Once installed, users will be protected by ESET across their entire Android ecosystem – both smartphone and TV.
The Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation personal backup solution offers protection against ransomware attacks, along with blockchain-based document certification and electronic signature technology. Subscription prices below.
Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation tackles the multi-billion dollar cyber-threat nightmare with real-time protection against ransomware attacks targeting data and offers the industry’s first blockchain-based certification and electronic signature technology.
The three core new features in Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation (over the existing Acronis TrueImage 2017) are:
Acronis launched True Image 2017 New Generation in Singapore at its offices in Suntec City Tower 3. Here’s Mike Chadwick, Vice President of Engineering & Cloud Operations for Acronis, at the launch.
The Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation will be available in 1, 3 and 5 computer offerings, at the price of S$139.99, S$200.99 and S$224.99 respectively.
