Use of Online Shopping and Banking Soars, yet Consumers Fail to Protect Credit Cards from Online Fraud

ABINGDON, England, March 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Kaspersky Lab launches PURE 3.0 Total Security to safeguard users' identity, passwords, money and digital assets online

Consumers are leaving themselves open to online fraud, when banking and shopping online. According to research from YouGov on behalf of Kaspersky Lab, less than half (43 per cent) of consumers have insurance to cover their debit or credit cards from illegitimate withdrawals and purchases. The research also reveals that 38 per cent of consumers use the same password for more than one online account, increasing the likelihood of a cybercriminal gaining access to multiple accounts.

Data from Kaspersky Lab^[i] shows that more than 5,000 websites are compromised daily, including popular banking and shopping websites. With 77 per cent of computer users regularly shopping online in 2012,^[ii] and 86 per cent now using online banking,^[iii] it's easy to imagine how many transactions occur daily, and how many credit card numbers are at the fingertips of cybercriminals.

In addition, Kaspersky data^[iv] also shows that approximately 70 per cent of phishing emails trick victims into visiting malicious, cleverly-forged websites for the sole purpose of stealing their bank credentials.

To help protect home PC users from these threats, Kaspersky Lab has announced the launch of Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security to safeguard all things stored and exchanged on users' PCs. The new product from Kaspersky boasts an array of features including online banking and shopping security, password management and online backup, all of which can be accessed via an easy-to-use interface with rapid access to key features and management from the main window.

"The Internet has become a key element of our lives today and this has increased the potential 'attack surface' for cybercriminals. As increasing numbers of us bank, shop and socialise online, the number and sophistication of attacks from cybercriminals also rises, therefore we all need to make sure we are taking the necessary precautions to stay protected," says "David Emm, Senior Security Researcher, Kaspersky Lab. "By incorporating award-winning technologies such as Safe Money and Automatic Exploit Prevention into Kaspersky PURE 3.0, we sought to develop a product that not only protects a PC but the digital identity and online assets of its user, whether that be bank details or personal photos."

New and Improved Features of Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security include:

• Safe money: Cybercriminals are after one thing in the end: money. The Internet gives these modern con-artists new ways to steal, so Kaspersky PURE 3.0 includes new ways to stay protected. Using new Safe Money technology, Kaspersky PURE 3.0 verifies that all websites requiring banking, payment, or shopping information are genuine, so users aren't tricked into entering personal information onto a fake website. By using security certificates and checking website reputation, Safe Money verifies the sites' authenticity, and then automatically launches a secure web browser to offer extra protection from online malware. For even more protection, Safe Money also includes a new Secure Keyboard feature, which ensures login information isn't recorded by keylogging software.

• Password Sync: Passwords are a vital way to control the information that makes up a person's identity, making it crucial to ensure the strength and complexity of their passwords. On average, Internet users have at least five password-protected accounts that use various combinations of characters and symbols to securely log in. Multiple passwords are often difficult to remember and keep organised. Kaspersky Lab's online password vault allows users to store all their login information in a single, secure vault, that can be synced across multiple PCs (with PURE 3.0 installed), instead of carrying a list of passwords on a piece of paper, or using the same details for every login.

If users are looking to create the most secure passwords they can, the Kaspersky Password Manager will generate an incredibly sophisticated password so they don't have to, and further save it to the cloud, so memorising it won't be necessary.

• Online Backup: With so many critical documents, photos and information stored on users' computers, it's important to plan for physical loss, damage or theft of PCs. Kaspersky PURE 3.0 now offers an integrated online backup feature, allowing users to automatically back up their files online via a preliminarily created account on Dropbox service. Once the files have been backed up, users will be able to access the files from any computer with an Internet connection.

• Automatic Exploit Prevention: Many of the software programs we use daily can be easily exploited and turned into an effective entry point for cybercriminals. These common programs, such as Adobe Acrobat, Java, and more, may contain vulnerabilities that have not been fixed by the software creator, or by users who absentmindedly click "ignore" when prompted to install software updates. If these vulnerabilities are left unpatched, cybercriminals can use these holes to gain access to their computer. Kaspersky Lab's new Automatic Exploit Prevention technology anticipates and blocks these types of attacks by watching over the programs installed on the PC and monitoring them for abnormal behaviour. If the program tries to perform unusual or unauthorised activities, this technology blocks the potentially malicious action.

• Parental Controls: Parents aren't always aware of what children are doing while they're on the computer, which can be worrisome. With Kaspersky PURE's parental controls, users will know their children are completely protected with Kaspersky Lab's premier security features and filters. Parents can block access to inappropriate websites, set Internet usage time limits, and prevent valuable information from being shared via Facebook and Twitter, such as addresses or credit card numbers. If a child has their own computer, parents can manage and monitor all these Parental Control settings from their own computer via the central management tool.

• Home Network Control. Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security features an improved, easy-to-use centralised security management function for networked home computers. This allows users to check the protection status and update the antivirus database for all the PCs in a home network from just one computer.

Don't just take our word for it

Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security is built on the award-winning foundation of Kaspersky Lab's premium security technology, which consistently outperforms competitor products in rigorous independent industry tests. Products from Kaspersky Lab's line of home-user protection participated in more than 50 independent tests in 2012 and achieved first-place in half of these evaluations. More information on the award results can be found here.

System requirements to install and run Kaspersky PURE 3.0

Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security is compatible with Microsoft Windows 8/Pro/Enterprise (32-bit and 64-bit*); Microsoft Windows 7 Starter/Home Basic and Premium/Professional/Ultimate (32-bit and 64-bit* Service Pack 1 or higher); Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic and Premium/Business/Enterprise/Ultimate (32-bit and 64-bit* Service Pack 2 or higher). Microsoft Windows XP Home/Professional (32-bit Service Pack 3 or higher and 64-bit* Service Pack 2 or higher.)

Availability and Pricing

Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security will be available from March 12, 2013. One-year licences can be purchased for £59.99 for a one user license and £89.99 for a three user license.

To learn more about Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security, please visit: http://www.kaspersky.co.uk/store

* Password Manager works with 32-bit applications and browsers

Kaspersky Lab has launched a new online newsroom, Kaspersky Lab Newsroom Europe (http://newsroom.kaspersky.eu/), for journalists throughout Europe. The newsroom is specifically designed to serve many of the media's most common requests, making it easier for journalists to find product and corporate information, facts and figures, editorial copy, images, videos and audio files, as well as details about the appropriate PR contacts.

About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is the world's largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world's top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its 15-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for consumers, SMBs and enterprises. The company currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 300 million users worldwide. Learn more at http://www.kaspersky.co.uk.

* The company was rated fourth in the IDC rating Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2011. The rating was published in the IDC report "Worldwide Endpoint Security 2012-2016 Forecast and 2011 Vendor Shares (IDC #235930, July 2012). The report ranked software vendors according to earnings from sales of endpoint security solutions in 2011.

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^© 2013 Kaspersky Lab. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for Kaspersky Lab products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Kaspersky Lab shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

i. Data was obtained from Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) in 2012.

ii. According the worldwide survey conducted by O+K Research in May 2012.

iii. According to research from YouGov Plc on behalf of Kaspersky Lab. Total sample size was 2055 and the survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

iv. Data was obtained from Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) in 2012.

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SOURCE Kaspersky Lab