Kazakhstan Internet has 7 phishing links per every user

Kazakhstan Internet space boasts a huge number of phishing links: the ratio is 7 phishing links per every user. These links take users to fake websites that attempt to steal personal information, e.g. credit card passwords, Tengrinews.kz reports citing leading anti-virus expert of Kaspersky Laboratory Sergey Golovanov as saying at a press-conference on online-payments. According to the analyst, a global poll showed that one half of Internet users cannot distinguish authentic websites from fake ones. One third of respondents confirmed that they received e-mails with suspicious links on behalf of a bank. The e-mails contained requests for confidential information. The majority of phishing links are sent via e-mail or distributed thorough social networks. Executive Director of Kazkommertsbank Nurlan Zhagiparov added that Internet-payments are becoming more popular in Kazakhstan every year. According to him, their number grew 15-fold in the last 2 years. Banking operations via smartphones are becoming popular as well: Android users made twice as many transactions as Apple gadgets owners do. The experts agreed that security of Internet-banking mainly depends on the users. The experts advise the clients to regularly updates the software on their devices, use complicated passwords, buy from reliable online-shops and enter their URL-addresses manually. It is also important to use reliable Internet-connection, avoiding public Wi-Fi hubs. And it is preferable to use a separate bank card issued specially for Internet payments. Earlier the representative of Processing.kz Konstantin Gorozhankin forecasted that the electronic commerce market would grow 9-fold in Kazakhstan by 2015. According to the expert, the global experience shows that people start actively using online shops only after the number of Internet users exceeds 20 percent of all users of commercial services. Kazakhstan passed this threshold in the beginning of 2010. By Dmitriy Khegai