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Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Inside the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa (META) mobile threat landscape: Middle East attacks rise, Africa and Turkiye remain targeted
At the 10th annual Cyber Security Weekend – META 2025 conference held recently, Kaspersky ( Global Research and Analysis Team experts shared their insights on the latest trends in the mobile threat landscape across the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa (META) region. While the overall attack rate in the region remained relatively stable in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, the Middle East experienced a significant surge, with attacks increasing by 43%, reaching over 57,000 attacks. In contrast, both Africa and Turkiye showed a positive trend, with a decline in mobile attacks. Africa saw a 17% decrease, with 94,270 recorded attacks, while Turkiye experienced a 16% reduction, totaling 28,592 attacks. 'The decline in the number of mobile attacks in some parts of the META region is certainly a positive sign and may indicate that awareness and protective measures are starting to pay off,' said Tatyana Shishkova, Lead Security Researcher at Kaspersky. 'However, the threat is far from gone. Cybercriminals are becoming more skilled and selective, increasingly leveraging sophisticated AI-powered and targeted attacks.' All of these recorded threats were successfully blocked by Kaspersky's mobile security solutions, with data from Kaspersky protection systems running on Android devices. The company's experts highlight that the latest trends point to a cascade-style infection strategy, where attackers find multiple ways to sneak onto victims' devices. As more services shift to mobile platforms - and as people increasingly rely on smartphones for nearly every aspect of their lives - mobile devices have become highly attractive targets for cybercriminals. Many of these threats are distributed via social media platforms or unofficial app stores, as seen in the Tria Trojan campaign, which spread through fake wedding invitations shared over WhatsApp and Telegram. Victims were tricked into downloading and installing a malicious APK file disguised as a legitimate app. However, even big official platforms are not immune. A recent discovery revealed SparkCat, a sophisticated data-stealing Trojan leveraging artificial intelligence. Distributed through both the App Store and Google Play, SparkCat was downloaded more than 242,000 times. It used machine learning to scan for cryptocurrency and sensitive data in nine different languages. Alarmingly, even brand-new phones can be compromised before they reach their owners, arriving with pre-installed malware. Counterfeit versions of popular smartphone models, often sold at discounted prices, have been discovered to come preloaded with a modified variant of the Android malware known as Triada. 'Even the most vigilant individuals can miss a well-crafted threat. That's why cybersecurity must be proactive—not reactive. Staying ahead of cybercriminals takes innovation from tech companies, expertise from security professionals, and awareness from users. It's a shared responsibility,' adds Tatyana Shishkova. To protect yourself from mobile threats, Kaspersky recommends: Download apps only from official stores like Apple AppStore, Google Play or Amazon Appstore. Apps from these markets are not 100% failsafe, but at least they get checked by the moderators and there is some filtration system — not every app can get onto these stores. It's worth looking through user reviews of an app to see if there is any negative feedback on its functionality. Check the permissions of apps that you use and think carefully before permitting an app, especially when it comes to high-risk permissions such as Accessibility Services. A reliable mobile security solution like Kaspersky Premium ( can help you to detect malicious apps and adware before they start behaving badly on your device. Update your operating system and important apps as updates become available. Many safety issues can be solved by installing updated versions of software. Kaspersky calls on the mobile industry to enhance cyber protection at all levels, including security for users, by providing tailored cybersecurity services. Kaspersky Consumer Business Alliances enable companies to offer their customers complete cybersecurity portfolios by backing them with Kaspersky's global support and expertise. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kaspersky. For further information please contact: Nicole Allman nicole@ Social Media: Facebook: X: YouTube: Instagram: Blog: About Kaspersky: Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. With over a billion devices protected to date from emerging cyberthreats and targeted attacks, Kaspersky's deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative solutions and services to protect individuals, businesses, critical infrastructure, and governments around the globe. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading digital life protection for personal devices, specialized security products and services for companies, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. We help millions of individuals and over 200,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at
Wall Street Journal
07-05-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Gold Gains After Fed's Warning of Uncertainty to Economy From Tariffs
2347 GMT — Gold is higher in early Asian trade after the Fed warned of uncertainty to the economy coming from tariffs. The precious metal tends to perform well during periods of economic uncertainty. However, price gains may be capped by expectations of a meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials in Switzerland on Thursday. BofA Global Research's supply/demand model suggests that gold can trade comfortably above $3,000/oz, but not above $3,500/oz for now, particularly if trade disputes ease, its Global Commodity Research team says in a note. Spot gold is 0.2% higher at $3,373.34/oz. (
Korea Herald
10-02-2025
- Korea Herald
Workplace harassment in Korea rises, yet half of victims stay silent: survey
More than a third of South Korean office workers have experienced workplace harassment in the past year, but most choose not to report it, a new survey revealed. The survey, conducted by Global Research on behalf of the Korean labor rights civic group Gapjil119, polled 1,000 office workers nationwide from Dec. 2 to 11, 2024. It found that 35.9 percent of respondents had faced workplace harassment in the past year, marking an increase from 30.5 percent in a similar survey conducted earlier in 2024. Temporary and contract workers were the most vulnerable, with 41.3 percent reporting harassment compared to 32.3 percent of regular employees. Workers in non-office roles, such as those in manufacturing or service industries, were also more likely to be targeted than those in office jobs. The most common forms of workplace mistreatment included insults and defamation (23.5 percent), unfair work instructions (19.6 percent) and physical assault or verbal abuse (19.1 percent). Yet, rather than seeking help, 51.3 percent of victims either endured the harassment or ignored it, the survey found. The other half took different actions: 30.1 percent protested individually or with colleagues, 23.7 percent quit their jobs, 12.8 percent reported internally to their employer or labor union, and just 5 percent filed official complaints with labor authorities. Concerns over workplace mistreatment are rising, with 54.0 percent of respondents describing the issue as 'serious,' up from 46.6 percent earlier in 2024. Even more alarming, the percentage of workers who said they had considered self-harm or suicide due to workplace harassment surged from 15.7 percent to 22.8 percent in the same period. Kim Yu-kyung, a labor attorney at Gapjil119, warned in the survey that the situation is dire. 'It is deeply concerning that so many victims have contemplated self-harm or even suicide, yet legal protections remain inadequate,' she said. She criticized the current system, calling workplace harassment 'a violation of human rights and a fundamental threat to safe working conditions.' Without stronger enforcement, she added, meaningful change remains elusive. In response, the South Korean government and ruling party recently announced plans to criminalize even a single instance of workplace harassment and introduce a retrial system allowing victims to appeal employer-led investigations to the National Labor Relations Commission.
