The number of users attacked with spyware in South Africa increased by 18,8% from Q4 2022 to Q1 2023.
Spyware continues to be a threat to users of different types of devices, including thin clients, according to research coming out of the recent Kaspersky Cyber Security Weekend – META 2023.
Thin clients are used in corporate networks around the world to set up workspaces at a much lower cost than when using traditional laptop or desktop computers (thick clients). A thin client on a traditional operating system (OS), Linux or Windows-based, could potentially be targeted by different types of attacks, including spyware.
A compromised thin client could serve as an entry point to the corporate network, and it could be used to gain access to confidential data, take control of other machines on the network, or run malicious software.
According to Kaspersky, there are over 60 vulnerabilities in thin clients that could be used by cybercriminals.
“Thin clients have gained popularity over the last few years, especially after the pandemic, as organisations were seeking cost effective ways of setting up remote workplaces,” comments Victor Ivanovsky, KasperskyOS business development lead.
“It is also believed by many that they are secure to use and less vulnerable to malware than traditional machines. However, this belief is nothing more than a myth: thin clients running traditional operating systems are vulnerable, and our internal research shows that they can be hacked with a simple tool in under 10 minutes and be used to spy on users and/or access confidential data.
“We believe that the future of thin client development should be determined by Cyber Immunity,” he adds. “Attacks on a Cyber Immune system are ineffective – they continue to function even in an aggressive environment and stop potential attackers in their tracks.”