{"id":36080,"date":"2022-08-25T12:27:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T09:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/?p=36080"},"modified":"2026-03-28T01:36:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T22:36:06","slug":"number-of-users-affected-by-spyware-in-the-middle-east-decreases-in-the-second-quarter-of-2022-enterprises-remain-on-alert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/number-of-users-affected-by-spyware-in-the-middle-east-decreases-in-the-second-quarter-of-2022-enterprises-remain-on-alert\/","title":{"rendered":"Number of users affected by spyware in the Middle East decreases in the second quarter of 2022, enterprises remain on alert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Emad-Haffar-Head-of-Technical-Experts-Kaspersky_ssict_1200_1800\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to Kaspersky Security Network data for corporate users in the Middle East, in Q2 2022, the number of users affected by Trojan Spies \u2013 spyware able to harvest victim\u2019s credentials secretly \u2013 decreased compared to the previous quarter. However, security operations centers in organizations remain on alert with various cybercriminal groups continuing their activity across regions.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spyware is a type of malware that is used to spy on a user\u2019s actions (to track data entered by keyboard, make screenshots, retrieve a list of running applications, etc.).\u00a0The collected information is then transmitted to the malicious user controlling the spyware through email, the web, and other methods.\u00a0Spyware can be installed on any device \u2013 desktops or laptops, servers, and mobile devices and masked as regular apps for unnoticed operation. Spyware is used for espionage \u2013 to collect banking card credentials, passwords, and other valuable data.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, Kaspersky experts identified the\u00a0PseudoManuscrypt<\/a>\u00a0spyware module targeting many industrial and government organizations. It collected VPN connection data, logged keypresses, captured screenshots and videos of the screen, recorded sound with the microphone, and stole clipboard data and operating system event log data. Industrial espionage was one of the possible objectives of the campaign.\u00a0Other spyware threats monitored by Kaspersky experts include such known cases as Pegasus, Chrysaor, FinSpy, CoolWebSearch, Gator.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Oman the number of users affected by Trojan Spies decreased by 26% in Q2 2022 compared to Q1, in Qatar \u2013 by 17%, in Kuwait \u2013 by 16%. In Egypt the share of affected users fell by 14%, and in Saudi Arabia \u2013 by 12%. In Bahrain the share of users fell by 4%, and in the United Arab Emirates, the share of affected users remained unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpyware remains one of the most popular types of malware, enabling corporate espionage or intellectual property theft. It is often used targeted<\/em>, with corporate networks getting infiltrated for information collection. It is common that spyware can lead to loss of some corporate data from a device of one of the employees. Still, it<\/a> is far more likely that the compromised employee will be used as an entry-point into the corporate network, which contains more information,\u201d\u00a0<\/em>comments\u00a0Emad Haffar, Head of Technical Experts, META region at Kaspersky.<\/a>\u00a0\u201cOne of the key characteristics of spyware is evasiveness \u2013 a competent Security Operations Center and advanced cybersecurity solutions are required to mitigate this threat.\u00a0Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business and Kaspersky Anti Targeted Attack work well for organizations to block spyware in corporate systems.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To protect your organization from spyware, Kaspersky experts recommend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n