Over the past six months, experts from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky have observed a growth in the activities of scammers who steal passwords using special malware called Trojans-PSWs.
These are 'stealers', programs that can collect a victim's login information and other account information.
The research shows that the number of users who have fallen into password theft has grown significantly over time.
For example, there were 160,000 more victims in September than in April, a 45% increase. In recent months, Kaspersky has also noticed a sharp increase in the number of infection attempts: the third quarter of 2021 (July to September) saw growth of almost 30%. The total number of detections increased compared to the previous year, from 24.8 million to 25.5 million.
"As statistics show, login credentials, passwords, payment details and other personal information continue to be of interest to cybercriminals. For this reason, we encourage users to take certain precautions to protect their accounts. For example, multi-factor authentication can be used. Given the increase in the activity of scammers using password stealers, it is advisable not to click on insecure links and to use an up-to-date security solution "commented Denis Parinov, security expert by Kaspersky. To avoid running into malicious programs and scams that aim to steal credentials, Kaspersky also encourages you not to post personal information online that could reveal your identity, such as your home address,personal phone number and email.