Trend Micro said that the year 2011 witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of infected PCs in the Middle East, because businesses and individuals are still failing to take adequate security precautions.
Trend Micro’s Smart Protection Network ™ technology can see how many computers are active on the internet and the number of infected computers across the Middle East is on the rise. In 2010, there were more than 3,050,032 infected machines that Trend Micro saw as active across the region – a 44 percent rise from 2009. This year, already, the region has seen more than 674,938 compromised machines. Whereas, in 2010 GCC witnessed a 46% of rise in compromised machines.
“The visible infections in the region continue to grow year-on-year. As we become more dependent on the web, threats will only increase. We must educate ourselves and be better protected, because the consequences are more than what individuals and businesses can afford,” commented Chris Moore, General Manager, Middle East, Africa and Med. He further added, that, “The region is one of the fastest growing in the world and this attracts cyber criminals who are looking to exploit any weakness in our security.”
Saudi Arabia accounts for the most number of infected machines in GCC followed by UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.