Peru has become a regional hub of cyber-crime in online banking, according to a security consulting agency.
Kapersky Lab, a multinational computer security company, said that Peru has the second highest number of cyber-attacks against users of online banking in Latin America, after Brazil, according to a report by daily El Comercio.
The increase in the online crime has come as more and more Peruvians use the Internet to access their bank accounts.
“The Peruvian criminals don’t only attack the local user, but also online banking clients in neighboring countries,” said Fabio Assolini, a senior security researcher for Latin America at Kapersky. “These users are attacked by bank Trojans that are developed in Peru.”
Assolini said the online criminals attack individuals rather than banks, as the financial institutions have increased their investment in security. According to Assolini, Latin American banks invest more in online security than banks in the US or Canada.
“That’s why criminals don’t attack the banking entity, but rather the user. The criminal infects the client’s computer and steals their credentials to, finally, rob their account.”
