Has Budapest fixed its spam bot problem?

Cybersecurity experts noticed a troubling trend when they studied Internet activities in Budapest back in 2011. Budapest was found to be the fifth most infected city in the world for spam bots. These bots end up on unprotected computers and use the RAM to send thousands of emails. Some of these emails are harmless while others are phishing emails designed to trick recipients into following links and sharing personal information.

Cyberattacks went up by 81 percent in 2011 in Budapest. The number of bots operating on unprotected computers was worrisome, but hackers were also actively trying to steal personal information and money.

Seven years later, Budapest is the 10^th worst European city for cyberattacks. These attacks are 28 percent more frequent than in the average European city, which is somewhat of an improvement compared to what things were like in 2011.

Spam has dropped by 50 percent since the 2011 study. Antivirus companies have become aware of this problem and have developed better products. It is also likely that more Budapest residents are aware that their computer can get infected by bots and malware if they don’t use a good antivirus program.

There are still some risks Internet users need to be aware of. There are more hackers and scammers on the Internet than ever before, and these individuals are using complex techniques to steal information and money. The hacker group Anonymous received a lot of attention in 2011 after changing the text of the Hungarian Constitution online, but this kind of activity doesn’t represent what hackers actually do. Most of them focus on sending phishing emails or connecting with victims on social media to convince them to share personal information with them.

Social Media and Mobile

The use of social media represents a new cybersecurity risk. The companies behind the most popular social media platforms don’t make security their priority, and these sites provide users with a space where they can share information about themselves.

Mobile phones are another issue. Researchers have found that two-thirds of Hungarian Internet users have Smartphones. Using a Smartphone means that a person is more likely to use login credentials or share personal information on an unsecured connection while they are away from home.

Bots are no longer a major issue in Budapest, but Internet users need to be aware of other risks, such as phishing scams and hackers trying to steal their information.

Internet users can remain safe by being wary of any person or email requesting personal information and by using antivirus programs.

As we wrote before, according to the interesting study, 83% of the Hungarian Internet users reveal that they are on social media as well, that is considered to be the highest rate in whole Europe. Read more HERE.

Photo: unsplash.com

Source: Sally Writes