WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (INP) Microsoft’s most recent Security Intelligence Report (SIR)shows Bangladesh and Pakistan to be most at risk of malicious software attacks. The bi-annual global report from the first quarter of 2017 reveals the most vulnerable nations prone to cyberattacks. The in-depth study gives insights into the global threat landscape, with individuals sometimes finding themselves having to pay huge amounts to cybe rcriminals just to access their own devices. The other at-risk countries ranking behind Bangladesh and Pakistan are Cambodia and Indonesia. An approximate one in four computers running Microsoft real-time security products in these countries reported a malware encounter in Q1 2017. “Malicious software is evolving rapidly, fuelled by the growing market for exploits being sold in the dark web,” said Nithin Thomas, CEO of cyber security technology company, SQR Systems, told Tech Wire Asia. “The fragmented nature of networks being used in the Internet of Things, presents an even greater challenge due to the difficulty in tracking the potential risks to the networks.” Japan sees the least amount of cyber attacks in the region, reporting only 2 percent of computers as having malicious program incidents. Findings revealed an approximate average of 12.9 percent of computers ,running Microsoft real-time security products, in Malaysia reporting a malware encounter in the first quarter of 2017. This put Malaysia’s rate of cyber attacks higher than the global average of just 9 percent. However, the report boasted positive data, showing that Malaysia’s malware occurrences, compared to Q1 2016, had decreased by 16.7 percent. The various types of malicious software make it almost impossible for cyber security to be 100 percent effective all the time. Cloud-based computing, for example, is a key resource used by many organizations. Whilst it’s a central and mostly safe data hub, it is of course still at risk of attack. However, the majority of companies that face cloud-based cyber-attacks, simply need to strengthen password management to ensure targeted phishing attacks and breaches of third-party services are avoided. INP/AH