Web threats in Singapore increased 82% in 2020: report

This might be due to a rushed implementation of work-from-home setup.

Latest data from the Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) revealed that there were nearly 8.5 million web threats in Singapore in 2020, an 82% increase from the previous year’s nearly 4.7 million web threats.

Despite the surge in incidents, instances of detected local threats decreased by 39% in 2020 to hit 4.4 million—the lowest in Southeast Asia—suggesting that Singaporeans have improved their cyber hygiene when it comes to mitigating the spread of malware via removable USB drives, CDs, DVDs and other “offline” methods.

The incidence of web-based threats was on an upward trajectory from June 2020, with the impact of circuit-breaker measures being fully felt by both businesses and individuals.

According to KSN, this could be attributed to threat actors ramping up their activity to take advantage of the continued existence of poorly implemented IT infrastructures and weak cyber hygiene practices of employees when work-from-home arrangements were rushed.

“As the government further tightens regulations and continues to build up its cyber-defenses, it remains essential for businesses and individuals to remember that cybercriminals never sleep. Hence our security solutions should be automated, intelligence-based, and proactive,” Kaspersky Southeast Asia general manager Yeo Siang Tiong said.