Majority of Internet users in the GCC region are unaware of the lurking online threats from malwares such as Stuxnet, Duqu, and Zeus, according to a survey.

While majority of them have not heard the names of these dangerous online threats, 14 per cent of those surveyed admitted to only knowing about them in general terms, said the survey conducted by O+K for Kaspersky Lab.

Stuxnet, Duqu, and Zeus are the names of the most dangerous online threats, and have been reported even outside of the specialist computer press. But it seems that many ordinary users remain largely ignorant of them, stated the survey which targeted firms across GCC.

The respondents were also asked about the zero-day attacks and botnets. The result was almost the same – the users knew no more about these threats than about the malware, said the Kaspersky Lab in its survey.

However these results are not unequivocally bad because integrated antivirus solutions protect devices from the latest threats regardless of what the owners know about them.

At the same time, users who do not clearly understand the level of risk presented by the malware landscape may not fully understand the need for proper security software, the survey said.

This, according to the survey, is where the most serious problem lies. Nearly half of PC users and laptop owners (except for Apple products) in GCC countries think their data is relatively safe, it stated.

About 7 per cent of respondents are sure their computer does not need any additional protection. Meanwhile, just one successful malware infection could lead to the loss of all important data stored on the user’s computer, warned Kaspersky Lab.
 
The situation with mobile devices is even more complicated: 10 per cent of tablet owners and 15 per cent of modern smartphone users in are sure their devices are in no danger, the report added.-TradeArabia News Service