Cyber Security Report: Israel’s Situation Could be Worse

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The last quarter of 2013 saw 414,253 cyber attacks conducted against Israeli users. 26.4% of the local users were targeted, making Israel the 49th most at-risk country.

Israelis, however, aren’t just targets – sometimes they’re the attackers. 0.8% of all cyber attacks during Q4 2013 were Israeli in origin, making Israel the 38th most dangerous country – an increase compared to the previous quarter. The information was collected by Kaspersky Lab’s information security network.

The recent report differentiates between several kinds of malicious code attacks. One method is users actively downloading malicious software, convinced it’s a legitimate program. The other most popular method is exploiting internet browser vulnerabilities: Criminals draw users to an infected website and install malware on their system without their consent, a method called “drive-by download.”

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

Local threats: Worms and viruses are responsible for most IT security events. Users are also frequently attacked using USB drives, DVDs and other means. Kaspersky Lab detected almost a million local threats during Q4 2013.

Spam sources: According to global data China is responsible for 22.27% of the world’s spam, while the U.S. is responsible for 17.57%. When it comes to spam Israel is ranked relatively low – We’re responsible for 0.4% of the world’s spam, ranked 25th in the world.